Wings of the Dragon
by Tigeresssa
Summary: Chihiro's younger cousin Ryumiko has always dreamt of finding Chihiro's 'dream world' & solve the mystery behind the boy 'Kohaku'. But when Chihiro moves to college, leaving her cousin at home, what happens when Ryumiko stumbles into the world of spirits?
1. Chapter 1

Ryumiko flicked happily through her cousin's old sketch book. In it were her illustrations of strange beings, from people made of radishes, frogs wearing yukata, a dark figure wearing a Noh-mask and a giant baby with an old hag who had a giant head. But Ryumiko's favourite sketches were the drawings of a boy with green hair and eyes. For some reason, this boy featured many times in her cousin's sketchbook. Often, the boy was seen to be pictured with a white dragon with the same green eyes. Occasionally, her cousin featured in these scenes. Everytime the boy was drawn, somewhere on the page, her cousin had written '_Kohaku_'.

The boy was a mystery to Ryumiko, unusual and full of secrets. Three years ago when she was twelve, she often imagined she could enter her cousin's world and discover the secret behind Kohaku. She remembered the times her cousin had told her fairytales using the pictures she'd drawn; about an abandoned theme park with a bath house for spirits, ruled by a greedy witch who stole other spirit's names in order to make them her servants.

But her cousin no longer entertained her with such stories. Her cousin was eighteen and in college studying art, not caring for her world of spirits and magic. Ryumiko sighed and closed the sketchbook, placing it back in her cousin's wardrobe. She was now living in her cousin's room while she was away in college, thanks to the little problem that her parents had passed away and left her without a cent to her name. Don't get her wrong, she was sad about her parent's death, but they'd always leave her at home whilst they travelled the world, making her stay with relatives for the most part of her life. Her loss was not a large one.

She glanced in the full-length mirror, at her features that were so much like her cousin's. Her face was a little more oval shaped than her cousin's but otherwise almost the same as her cousin's. The only changes were her hair and eye colour. Her hair was a glossy black that reached her waist and her eyes a dull blue instead of her cousin's beautiful deep dark brown eyes.

"Ryumiko! Lunch is ready!" called her Aunt from downstairs.

"Coming!" Ryumiko replied back, opening the door to exit the bedroom. She paused and looked at the door. Reaching out a hand, she traced her cousin's name that was engraved into the door, whispering the name as she traced, "Chi-hi-ro…"

"Ryumiko?" called her Aunt.

She snapped out of her little moment and pulled her hand away from the door, running down the stairs to the kitchen.

x-o-x-o-x-o-x

"Where are you off to, Yumi?" asked her Aunt, using her old nickname.

Ryumiko paused at the front gate and turned to her Aunt, "Just out for a jog!"

Her Aunt waved her good-bye as she took off down the hill. Ryumiko knew the town like the back of her hand. She was now heading up to her Aunt's favourite grocer and shopping strip, and on the turn to her right, she would enter the forest that was at the end of the road. Chihiro had taken her there often for picnics when she was younger. Once they'd found an old and enormous red gate at the end of one road. Chihiro stared at it for hours before Ryumiko went to go explore what lay before the gate. Before Ryumiko could even pass the gate, Chihiro grabbed her and pulled her back, "No! You can't go in there!"  
She gave her cousin a questioning gaze before asking why.

"It's because if you go in there, you might not come back out! It's so old that it's about to collapse any day now!" Chihiro explained.

Ryumiko had always known it was a lie, but never questioned her cousin about it again… neither had she found the gate again. Many a time, since her cousin had left for college, Ryumiko had set out to find the gate for herself... her search was always unsuccessful. Today it was going to be different. She fingered the hundreds of short strings that she carried in her pocket. As she walked, she was going to tie strings on branches, so that she knew where she'd been before, hopefully eliminating different places. As she neared the forest, she took a deep breath to steady herself.

Hours passed and there was no sign of the old red gate anywhere. Her pile of strings was half gone and the sun seemed ready to set in an hour's time. Ryumiko sat against the trunk of a small tree, listening to the sound of dry leaves crunching underneath her weight. Her feet were sore and her patience had run thin. _What's the use anymore?_ she thought tiredly. _It's been weeks and I still haven't found so much of a-_

Her thoughts were stopped when she saw a little rock-like mound between the trees that seemed familiar. Wandering on sore feet towards the mound, she gasped when she saw a glint of red catch her eye. Breaking into a run, she stood breathless before the giant gate, not quite believing that she'd finally found it after all those weeks. Ryumiko absently tied a loose string onto the nearest branch before walking towards the wide tunnel-entrance. Not only had she seen this gate once before but many a time, she'd seen Chihiro drawing it. Sometimes it was coloured, others, it remained a lead pencil sketch, but all of those drawings held not even one once, of the overwhelming mystery the real thing did.

Ryumiko found her feet being pulled closer into the darkness of the gate, urging her to explore further. Any normal person would know that walking aimlessly through a tunnel just before sun down was not the best idea in the world, however, Ryumiko could not resist following her foot's will; too many unanswered questions that could be solved lay beyond that tunnel, and she was not about to let the opportunity pass.

It wasn't long before she could hardly see where she was going, occasionally stumbling over rubble or chunks of the gate that had crumbled from age. After a couple of moments walking in the darkness, it seemed as though there was no end in sight. Just as she considered turning around and heading home, she saw light at the end of the tunnel. Being able to see the ground now, she broke into a run, eager to get out of the darkness. As she kept running, she gasped when she found her feet speeding through a field. She stopped abruptly and looked ahead. She could hardly believe her eyes. There, right in front of her, was something she'd seen in pictures, heard in stories... Chihiro's 'Spirit World'... The abandoned theme park.

* * *

**Hello out there! So I thought I'd try out a Spirited Away fic since I find the concept intriguing and the storyline brilliant! Sorry about this chapter length but my first chapter is always the longest and the most difficult to read... It's all good from here!**

**So I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope I can update for you quickly (This is a bit of a difficulty seeing as I'm horrible when it comes to updating :S)**

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	2. Chapter 2

She could hardly believe her eyes. There, right in front of her, was something she'd seen in pictures, heard in stories... Chihiro's 'Spirit World'... The abandoned theme park.

Ryumiko began to pick up pace again, speeding towards the theme park with all her might. If people were around, they would wonder why a sixteen year old girl would run as wild as a five year old, the way she did. She didn't care though, the place felt like it was in a separate time and space to everything else... like a different dimension. She walked over the remains of a riverbed, looking briefly at the small trickle of water that now ran between the large rocks. Everything was just like Chihiro had drawn it... at the top of the stairs was the frog whose mouth was wide open... the shops that were still serving food even though the theme park was no longer running... the bridge to the bath-house...

Ryumiko stared at the bridge, recalling each and every detail of the fairytale Chihiro used to tell her about this place. She also recalled the day they'd found the entrance in the forest and couldn't understand why her cousin didn't want to come here. The place was alive and vibrant, filled with things that sparked long lost curiosity. Why had her cousin refused to let her come here?

She stood on the bridge carefully, hoping that the wood wasn't rotten with age, and looked to the horizon. The sun was now seconds away from hitting the hills in the distance. She was about to make her way home when a scent caught her nose. Following the scent, she found one of the restaurants, and a pile of mouth watering food. The sight sparked a memory,

_"The mother and father ate the food, not realising that the food was laid out for the spirits who journeyed to the bathouse. They ate and they ate; the food was so good that they ate ten times more than their stomachs could hold," said Chihiro, with a bright glint in her eyes._

_"What happened next?" asked a ten year old Ryumiko, eagerly awaiting the rest of a story she'd heard hundreds of times._

_"The spirits were angry that their food had been eaten by humans, so an old witch named Yubaba turned them both to pigs!" _

_Pigs huh?_ Ryumiko thought, looking at the food while her stomach rumbled. _Surely it's just a fairytale... _Reaching out tentatively, she picked up a piece of chicken, looking at it hungrily. She was about to take a bite when the food disappeared from her hand. Her eyes widened in surprise as she examined her hand that was void of food. She then looked around her feet, wondering if she dropped it somewhere. Her dull blue eyes found a pair of bare feet. Her eyes continued tracing upwards, finding attached to the pair of feet, were legs in blue pants, a torso in a white tunic-y-thing and finally her eyes stopped at a pair of familiar yet solemn green eyes. Ryumiko blinked, wondering if the boy in front of her was an illusion. Everything from his waist-length green hair to his bare feet screamed both the words, 'unnatural' and 'handsome'. He looked a good two heads taller and two years older than her and wore an expression void of emotion. Looking down at his arms, she noticed he was holding her missing chicken.

"Hey! I was going to eat that!" she said pointing at the meat.

The boy frowned at her, putting the food back on the plate where it belonged, "You mustn't eat this food."

Ryumiko jolted, wondering if this stranger knew about Chihiro's fairytales, she ventured further, "Why? What will happen if I ate the food?"

The boy glanced at her, giving her a strange expression before returning to the same expressionless face, "You would not believe me if I told you."

"Pigs?" she almost screamed, impatient and wanting to know if he knew Chihiro.

The boy's eyes widened before he frowned again, stepping closer to her, "You need to leave. Get out now!"

Suddenly the scene felt familiar, something like what her cousin had said in her fairytale,

_"A boy suddenly appeared before the girl," Chihiro said, pointing to her drawing of 'Kohaku'. "And her told her to leave before the sun set..."_

Everything clicked, her mind all of a sudden putting together pieces, "Kohaku?" she whispered.

The question was electric, like watching the part in a movie where the main character is given astonishing news; the expression on the actor changes from one to the next, almost in slow-motion. That was what the boy appeared to be doing as he stared at Ryumiko.

"How do you know th-" he stopped himself before glancing at the bath-house. As he did so, the sun vanished beyond the horizon, and lights suddenly appeared around them. Ryumiko jumped and looked at the street. Hundreds of traditional lamps were lit along the strip of shops, creating an ethereal glow in the theme park.

"Hey... Hey what's going on?" Ryumiko asked timidly, abruptly feeling like something was wrong.

The boy grimaced before turning towards her, "Here," he said, passing a small piece of bread from inside his hakama to her, "Eat this, then go hide yourself by the river. Go!" he instructed her, pushing her down the street. Before he turned away he called out, "Wait there until I come and find you!" and with that, he was gone.

Deciding to take heed from the strange boy's advice, she began a sprint back the way she came, towards the dry riverbed. From her corner of her eyes, as she ran past the old shops, she began to see shadows form and move around her...

"._..as the girl ran through the street, the spirits visiting the bath house began to appear, only able to reveal themselves when the sun had disappeared..."_

Ryumiko shuddered and kept running, trying not to look at the shadows. She felt uneasy as she ran through one shadow, feeling as though she ran through the mist of a large waterfall. Seeing the frog up ahead, she gave an inward sigh of relief, thankful that she was nearly there.

_"...the girl kept running before she fell into a river that had appeared from nowhere..."_

She ran down the steps, only to squeal in shock when she found herself running into a body of water. Scrambling back out of the water, she ran and found a place to hide, behind the wall of a building. Crouching down she panted quietly, in the dark, not understanding how the light could so quickly vanish. She took a few deep breaths to calm herself down, before she noticed she couldn't see her feet.

_"... she girl stared in wonder as she looked through her invisible hands... the boy from earlier found her and gave her some food to eat. Not wanting to turn into pigs like her parents she refused, but the boy said that she had to or else she'd disappear completely..."_

Ryumiko remembered the bit of bread the boy had given her and opened her clenched fist. The bread was squashed now but she didn't care, she just didn't want to disappear. Nearly swallowing the bit of bread whole, she sighed and watched her feet lose its transparency. _What is going on? Surely I fell over and knocked myself out and now I'm dreaming!_ Ryumiko tried to reason with herself. _This all just my imagination! This is Chihiro's fairytale! _she tried convincing herself, slapping her cheeks in an attempt to try and wake herself up.

As she continued to slap her face, she didn't notice the boy from earlier find her and walk up beside her, "What are you doing?" he asked quietly.

She turned and saw honest curiosity in his face, even in the dim light. _This is the most realistic and weird dream I've ever had... _she thought , "I'm - um - trying to - uh - wake myself up."

He gave her a quizzical expression before indicating that is was time to go. Ryumiko followed obediently, hoping that the dream would be over quickly if she just went with the flow. She was led away from the abandoned theme park and towards a small house on the outskirts of the park. It was designed to look like a traditional Japanese house with a fluted roof and red painted walls that were cracked and looked as if they were about to fall. The boy opened the door to the house and motioned with his hand for her to wait outside. From where she stood, Ryumiko could hear an arguement. However, because the fight was inside, she could only pick up a few words from the arguing.

"...Human? Another one?... put her in my care?" a female voice shouted.

The boy replied with as much volume, "...owe me!...knew name...same as..."

"...Fine!"

Ryumiko jumped when the door slammed open to reveal a brown haired woman wearing similar clothes to the boy only in pink. The woman's expression made Ryumiko realise that she got irritated easily.

"Come in... and look like you actually have a brain larger than a goldfishes'," snapped the woman, moving to the side so that there was enough room for Ryumiko to enter.

Hesitating only for a moment, Ryumiko wondered where on earth this dream would lead to...

* * *

**Hello again! ****So I hope you enjoyed reading this and I hope I updated faster than I thought I would! **

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	3. Chapter 3

Ryumiko sat awkwardly in a chair in the small kitchen. It appeared the woman who had let her into the house owned the place. She kept it very tidy, Ryumiko observed.

The woman had taken the boy into another room, where they had a loud conversation about whether or not she could stay in the house. The two had obviously known each other for some time as they kept talking about things that had 'happened before'. Finally the two reappeared and took chairs in front of Ryumiko. The woman sat down and placed on leg over the other, irritation written plainly on her face. The boy sat stiffly, his back as straight as a board.

"Okay. I haven't introduced myself yet, my name is Rin. Thanks to Haku here, it seems I have no other choice but to let you stay in my house until you can return home," the woman said staring at Ryumiko with her arms folded across her chest.

Ryumiko would have smiled, were it not for the tense atmosphere in the room. She finally knew the boy's and the woman's name, they both matched Chihiro's story, creepily enough.

Haku spoke up, "Before I leave, we would like to ask a few questions. First of all..." The two exchanged hopeful glances, for reasons Ryumiko couldn't guess. "...How did you know my name?"

Ryumiko gave a half smile, "Well you see, my cousin, she's eighteen now, she used to tell me stories about a place like this. Every night that I came over to her house actually. She even drew pictures of the people in this place. I just thought that you looked like a boy she drew. You know, only you look around Chihiro's age now instead of a twelve year old _kid_."

Rin jumped to her feet, surprising her. Ryumiko noticed Haku's eyes light up at the mention of her cousin's name as well. "Chihiro?" she cried, leaning closer towards Ryumiko with a bright glint in her eyes. Unable to think properly for the tiredness that was coming over her, she nodded. Rin gave Haku a smile, excited about hearing Chihiro's name. Haku returned to an expressionless state, looking neither excited or interested.

Rin began babbling, hardly stopping to breathe, "I can't believe it! She knows Chihiro, Haku! Well, rather, she's her cousin. I can see the resemblance now. This fixes everything! Finally we can get that witch Yubaba-"

She was stopped by a pale hand covering her mouth, Haku glared at the woman silencing her.

Ryumiko frowned, "Yubaba? As in, the witch with a twin and a giant baby, Yubaba?"

Haku nodded, "Yes there is such a person."

Her frown deepened, "But then... you're really a dragon and that outside was a bath house for spirits?"

The two spirits exchanged glances before Haku asked a question that had been nagging at him, "Although Chihiro told you all of this, you actually believed it? At _your_ age? I would expect a _child_ to be fooled by such stories."

Ryumiko blushed a bit, not really noticing that she had done that, "W-well you could say that... but I _really_ wanted to know what was beyond the tunnel! Chihiro would never even let me near-"

"And for a good reason!" interrupted Haku with a stern glare. Ryumiko frowned, already feeling annoyed that the boy looked down at her as if she were a five year old child. Before she could voice her opinions on this matter, Haku flicked a glance to the door and then nodded at Rin.

"I must leave. Ryumiko will stay here with you Rin but make sure she doesn't leave the house during the day and that she never goes near the bath house. Understood?" Haku ordered, making his way to the front door.

"Yeah yeah whatever you overgrown serpent..." Rin mumbled.

Without another word, Haku vanished, leaving Ryumiko alone with Rin. Almost immediately, Rin was up and pulling out a spare futon from a closet.

"Do you know if Chihiro's coming here too?" Rin asked.

A sharp pain hit Ryumiko's chest upon remembering her cousin. It seemed that they needed Chihiro's help and soon. More than anything Ryumiko wished Chihiro _would_ come back... but her cousin had no mind for 'stories' and 'dreams' anymore. Chihiro wasn't going to come back easily... if not at all.

"Um... that is... I don't know," Ryumiko answered as obscurely as she could, getting the feeling that she didn't quite want to know what would happen if Chihiro never came.

She follwed Rin into her new temporary room, her heart skipping a beat when she saw it. It looked exactly like Chihiro's bedroom... only the walls were white instead of pink and there were no posters of the latest idols decorating them. Also, the cupboard where Chihiro kept her sketchbooks with the drawings of the Spirit World was gone. Ryumiko figured it wouldn't take her long to get used to her new room.

* * *

**Hello again! ****Sorry it took forever! I'm finding it really hard to keep up with all these stories so I'm going to make a series of (many) small chapters on this story! Don't murder me!**

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	4. Chapter 4

Ryumiko was reminded of why she hated mornings the next day. The sunlight of the Spirit World shone through the window of her new bedroom, and illuminated the white in her room brilliantly. As lovely as it would have been, say, on a sunny afternoon, it was hardly beautiful to Ryumiko, whose eyes were harshly blinded after a long night's sleep. Being unable to see, she stumbled out of bed, finding herself on her hands and knees upon the floor. Grumbling to herself she slowly got to her feet, squinting against the morning sun.

When her eyes had adjusted a bit, she looked to her left to see a pile of neatly folded clothes on her bedside table. There was a pale blue kimono as well as a pair of beautifully decorated hairpins. Setting aside the hair ornaments, she unfolded the kimono, seeing that the back of the skirt trailed along the ground and its sleeves fell as low as her ankles. The fabric was soft and flowed like water. Ryumiko stared at the clothing, wondering how she was supposed to 'lay low' if she was going to wear something so elegant? Shrugging, she changed into the long blue kimono and pinned up her hair nicely with the new accessories before walking out of her room.

It would be a lie if Ryumiko said she could pull off a graceful walk in the kimono, as she continually tripped over the hem and resorted to lifting the front of the skirt above her knees to allow for a clearer path for her ever clumsy feet. However it would have also been a lie if she said she didn't _feel_ graceful, the kimono making her feel like an ancient princess.

Rin was cooking breakfast in the kitchen when her new guest walked in, dressed in her new clothes. Rin's eyes widened and she stopped what she was doing upon the sight.

"Where did that come from?" she asked, pointing at the kimono.

Ryumiko's mood dampened slightly, now confused, "D-Didn't you set this out for me to wear?"

Rin rolled her eyes, "Do I look like I could afford something like that?"

Out of politeness, Ryumiko didn't answer and instead shrugged, "Oh well, I can't say I stole it, because I didn't... and it's not like I'm getting out of this house anytime soon, since 'Mr. Stoneface' commanded me otherwise. May as well keep it."

Rin pulled a half-smile before handing the teen a plate of breakfast. She'd hardly taken a bite of the steaming food when Mr. Stoneface himself, aka. Haku, walked through the door, scaring the two women with the abruptness of his entry. His long green hair was in disarray and he looked tired as if he'd stayed awake all night, though his face remained expressionless, not appearing to reveal true emotion anytime soon.

"Geez Haku! Learn to knock will ya?" Rin complained, pointing a cooking untesil at him threateningly. "I thought you were that fat-headed witch or one of her goons."

Haku ignored her comment and sat down at a chair. Though his facial expression remained blank, he was surprised by Ryumiko's attire.

"How did you get that?" he asked her, indicating to her dress.

She shrugged, "I don't know. I woke up and it was just - there."

Without warning, he reached out to take hold of one of the sleeves, carefully observing the material. Ryumiko raised an eyebrow at him before snatching back the sleeve from his grasp.

"What is so fascinating about this kimono when you've got frogs that talk, people turning into pigs and anatomically incorrect witches?" Ryumiko asked impatiently. When neither answered she sighed, "Fine. Don't tell me anything."

"It's not that we don't _want _to tell you, we don't know anything about it _to _tell you. It just seems odd that it magically appeared in the night don't you think?" Rin said, pushing a plate of food in front of Haku as well.

Haku's eyebrows twitched downwards ever so slightly as he stared intently at the strange dress. Ryumiko noticed and put down the food she was about to take a bite out of.

"Look! If you're worried that someone followed us here, then you should be fine! I don't think I saw anyone follow us, and since you seem to be oh-so-meticulous, I'm pretty sure you _know_ that no-one followed us!" she huffed, angrily taking a bite of breakfast. It had hardly been an hour since she'd woken, and already she was prepared to run outside and enjoy the warmth of the sun.

Haku's frown had disappeared, surprised by the human girl's outburst. She was right in thinking that someone might have seen them go to Rin's house, and her argument made sense, but they couldn't be too relaxed about it.

Ryumiko huffed, wanting to break the silence, "So why do you need Chihiro's help anyway? You never told me why. I'd be happy to help if I can, you know!"

Rin flicked a raised eyebrow at him, daring him to tell her the truth. The dragon sighed and ran a hand through his disheveled morning hair.

"Did Chihiro's 'story' ever come to an end?" Haku asked.

The raven haired girl nodded, "Uh huh, though it ended about three different ways. The one she told the most usually ended with her leaving the Spirit World behind after saving her parents and Kohaku... which I'm assuming is you?"

Haku nodded, "On the day Chihiro left, both Rin and I escaped from Yubaba. However when we'd told her we'd resigned, she flew into a frenzy, having lost two of her workers and her enslaved dragon. Enraged, she cursed the two of us before we escaped, in a foreign language. We eventually managed to flee the bath house and headed to Zeniba's, to work out how to remove the curse.

"Even Zeniba couldn't work out the whole incantation Yubaba had placed on us, however it involves someone who had lived in the Spirit World once, before returning to the living realm. The only human we knew that had done something like this was Chihiro. The only problem being that Yubaba had closed off the gate to spirits, so we couldn't ask her to help."

Rin continued when Haku remained silent, "Zeniba also thinks that this 'someone' who can remove our curse, is also able to finally bring down Yubaba. Since we've left, the old hag had been crueller to the other workers, and made it even harder for them to free themselves from her clutches. She's also gaining more power quickly, and we think she's up to something."

There was a short silence, before Ryumiko leapt to her feet, "Well then why should I be locked up here? I should be telling Chihiro to get her butt over here now!" She briskly made her way to the front door, the dress rippling behind her like a stream of water. She was suddenly picked up by one Haku before she made it to the exit.

"What are you doing? This makes no sense!" Ryumiko said, flailing against his grip.

He sat her back down on the chair with difficulty before he explained, "We still don't know if Yubaba knows if you're here or not. If she does, do you really think that she'd let you, a human, who also happens to know Chihiro and her whereabouts, to just walk in and out of the Spirit World? We can't take that risk and neither can you."

Blue eyes glared at green eyes before she gave up.

"Fine, I'll stay cooped up in here for the mean time. But you'd better find out how to sneak me out of here soon! I'm sure Chihiro has been waiting to see you for a long time now," the black haired girl grumbled, walking back into her room with her plate of breakfast.

Although staying indoors was a harder task than Ryumiko had ever imagined...

* * *

**Hello again! ****Sorry it took forever but exams are coming up and stress levels are rising... although I wrote this when I was supposed to be 'studying'... ehehe**

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	5. Chapter 5

Ryumiko was spending her third day cooped up indoors. Lying spread-eagled on the floor of her room, she groaned into the ground, willing for something to happen. The most exciting part of her day was when Rin came home with food, going to bed and waking up to find a new dress, with yesterday's clothes magically disappear. Today, a lovely emerald green kimono-like dress had appeared, made of the same liquid-like fabric as the first dress she'd had. It was similar in design, floor-length with a small train of fabric behind her, close-fitting around the torso, only this time it was sleeveless.

Ryumiko noted that she really needed to find whoever kept delivering these dresses for two reasons. The first being the obvious, she needed to know how this person knew her, so intimately as to know her exact measurements and where she was currently staying. The second, was that she wanted to ask if she could take some of the beautiful clothing items back home with her if it was alright. But compared to the rest of her days, these moments were pretty much the highlight out of her waking hours.

Haku had only come once the past three days to see how she was doing... needless to say he considered her boredom to be an invalid excuse for her to get out of the house. Ryumiko could feel her frustration with the dragon spirit, not understanding what Chihiro saw in him. Maybe her cousin was vain enough to fall for his looks. After all, he _was _pretty extraordinary in terms of handsome-ness, but otherwise, he irritated the crap out of her. She flipped over onto her back to give a long hard stare at the ceiling.

She wished there was a mirror on the roof. Just to see something different. She imagined if there were a mirror, she'd be reflected with her black hair encircling her head like a dark halo, and her dress splayed about the floor like a green pool.

She wondered what Rin did when she went outside. She obviously couldn't go near Yubaba, clearly. Did she have a new job elsewhere? Maybe she helped Haku with whatever he dd when they weren't around... Maybe they had formed some sort of rebellion with other spirits, ready to take over the bath house like some kind of mafia.

Her imagination growing thin, she slowly stood up off the ground and stared out her bedroom window. The sky was blue and the sun was warmly shining as per usual. Ryumiko glared at the vast blue sky. She reckoned that if Chihiro made a story about the sky looking down at people, the cloudless blue would be laughing and taunting her with its sunlit glory at that very moment. Maybe she was just growing insane. She took a harder look at the window, an idea forming in her mind.

Ryumiko frowned, surely Haku wouldn't mind her sitting on the windowsill. She wouldn't _technically_ be going out of the house that way. Agreeing with herself that it should be safe, she climbed onto the windowsill and sat on the edge, the hem of her emerald dress lightly dancing over the grass. Ryumiko took a deep breath, enjoying the fresh air and light breeze. The problem was that the sunlight was just out of reach, not quite reaching past the eaves of the roof.

Eager to feel the warmth of the sun, she leaned forward and reached out her hand slowly, her fingertips gradually being bathed in light. She only had a moment to savour the experience before she felt something sharp suddenly ram into her stomach, pushing her backwards into the house. There was a flurry of green fabric, black feathers and long claws as Ryumiko tried to get a raven-looking thing to stop attacking her.

Screaming in panic, she managed to get onto her feet and she ran towards the kitchen away from the creature. Grabbing the nearest objects, she hurled kitchen utensils at the strange creature attacking her. Through her frantic mind, she recognised the creature to look exactly like a raven, only with a serrated beak, longer talons and four gleaming red eyes. Running out of things to throw, she picked up a frying pan and held it out in front of her as a means of defense.

'_Human! Human! Let me devour you!_' the creature hissed repeatedly, as if its voice were on replay. The voice was feral, and hardly sounded like distinguishable words. Ryumiko probably would not have understood the creature, if she could not hear the bloodthirsty intent in its voice.

"Go away!" Ryumiko shouted at the monster, feeling her feet step backwards.

The creature ignored her and snarled, spreading its ebony wings, ready to charge at the girl at any moment. It gave a final blood-curdling shriek as it shot forward. Ryumiko screamed and closed her eyes, preparing herself for death.

A thunderous crash silenced both the human and the predatory spirit as the wall exploded. Ryumiko kept her eyes tightly shut, thinking something worse had appeared than the 'raven-monster'. After a loud squawking followed by a solid minute of silence, she pried open her eyelids, keeping the pan in front of her face. She peeked over the rim of the metal cooking pan, eyes widening at the scene that beheld her. Rin was going to slaughter her...

The entire left side of the kitchen wall had been reduced to rubble, and a heavily bleeding mass of flesh and feathers was lying in the middle of the room. The raven creature had been killed, much to Ryumiko's relief. She looked around for her saviour and found herself looking at a guy around Haku's age, if not younger, leaning over the dead monster.

She stared wordlessly at the newcomer. His hair was braided and reached the floor; the colour of a brilliant red, almost the same colour as the entrance to the Spirit World. A messily cut fringe partially covered his eyes as he stared at the black mass of feathers. He was pale-skinned like Haku and dressed in white robes that looked similar to hers, only the edges of the fabric were tattered and instead of moving softly and gracefully like hers did, it seemed to be alive in a wild dance. One of his hands was dyed in what looked like the monster's blood, which strangely did not strike fear into her.

Suddenly he looked straight at her, her blue eyes suddenly meeting his own golden irises. They looked like someone had mixed liquid gold with sunshine, and their intensity sent shivers down Ryumiko's spine.

He surprised her by bowing deeply before racing out of the hole in the wall. Ryumiko's eyes widened further, as the stranger seemed to stretch out before he changed into a long red dragon with a white mane and flew out into the sky, faster than she could imagine.

She sat amongst the debris in the kitchen flabbergasted, not knowing what to do or say. She was in the process of reconsidering the consequences of sitting on a windowsill when both Rin and Haku walked through the door.

Both their eyes widened at the destruction before them. They fixed their questioning gaze at Ryumiko who was still sitting on the floor with the pan beside her.

She grinned nervously and waved a little at them, "H-Hi guys!"

* * *

**HA! I can only imagine what Haku's going to do next XD And no I don't know myself, my writing works in mysterious ways :P**

**Many thank-yous to:**

spirited away forever

Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967

Laugh. While. Crying (Sorry! Fanfiction's mean and won't let me type your penname properly!)

Spastic Treehugger

**I loved getting reviews from you! Why? Because reviews are my life! Not really but they're up there on that list next to chocolate!  
**

**REVIEW PLEASE!**


	6. Chapter 6

"My house!" Rin cried as she looked at the shattered wall.

Haku noticed the mass of feathers unmoving on the ground and flicked a glance at Ryumiko. He knelt close to the dead monster, to inspect it. When he seemed done, he frowned at the girl who was still seated on the ground.

"You tried to get outside didn't you?" he sighed.

At this, the girl leapt to her feet. "I only sat on the windowsill! I didn't take a single step onto the grass and that _thing_ attacked me!" she explained, pointing at the black feathers.

"So I suppose were you the one to kill it?" he questioned, his green eyes searching hers.

Ryumiko pursed her lips, wondering if she should tell him the truth. Haku noticing her hesitation, stepped closer so he that he was looking down at her.

"Uh... well... there was someone else... I don't know _who _exactly - but he _did_ save my life..." she stalled, avoiding his eyes. When she caught a glimpse of his deep green orbs though, she blurted, "Are there any other dragons beside you?"

Haku raised an eyebrow at her query, "Yes there are. Are you saying it was a dragon that 'saved' you and tore down Rin's home?"

Ryumiko rolled her eyes, "I guess the whole knocking down the wall thing was over-done, but otherwise, yes he saved my life! Is that really a problem? He left as soon as he killed it, and he even bowed to me before he flew away in all his red glory!"

"Red?" Haku asked.

"Yeah, red!" Ryumiko said, getting on her toes to glare at him on equal ground.

"And you don't even suspect he's just _acting_ friendly to get on your good side?" he almost growled.

"If he was going to kill me later, why didn't he let that monster do it for him then?" she shouted back.

Both green and blue eyes narrowed at each other, until Rin split them apart with her arms. "Okay, cool down you two lovebirds!" she said frustratedly.

The two stuttered at the prospect of being called 'lovebirds'.

Haku was the first to wheel around to face the woman. "Rin!" he shouted, his eyes wide and the lightest of blushes across his cheeks.

"T-That's - ew!" Ryumiko said, pushing Haku away from her as if to prove her point.

Rin just giggled at their reaction. "Look I don't care what you do, but I need help putting this wall together again," she said, jerking a thumb behind her at the rubble.

* * *

Ryumiko was amazed by the walls of the house. Even though they had been smashed to smithereens, as soon as two pieces came together, they melded until you couldn't tell it was ever broken. So now the wall looked as good as new, dinner had been served and the human girl was lying on her bed, watching the cresent moon in the sky.

Hearing a small huff from the corner of her room, she looked briefly at the dragon spirit who was rolling out a mattress.

"What are you doing Haku?" she groaned, moving her eyes back to the slender moon against the darkening turqoise sky.

Haku heard the irritation in her voice and gave her a patronising glare he was glad she didn't see. "I'm here to make sure no other dragons, rabid ravens or pesky humans go in _or_ out of this room until morning. I'm also hoping to find out the mystery of your attire."

Ryumiko scoffed, "Yipee... I really have no idea what Chihiro saw in you..."

Haku froze, "What are you mumbling about?"

"Oh nothing. Just that my cousin must have been blind when she met you," she replied.

"Ha ha. Very amusing. Go to sleep!" Haku said, climbing into his own make-shift bed.

"She must have been deaf as well..."

"Could you just sleep already?"

Ryumiko sat up in her bed, "Really! Besides the whole thing with Yubaba, what happened to you? Chihiro made you out to be so... emotionally stable! Now you're emotion-_less_ then suddenly scolding me for everything I say or do!"

Haku sat up to face her, "What does it matter to you?"

"I've spent _years_ trying to figure you out! And I had to do it with only drawings and an idea of what Chihiro told me herself! Now that you're actually in front of me, it's indescribably infuriating that you're just as difficult to understand, if not more so!" she said harshly, resisting the urge to throw a pillow at him.

"Why does that concern me?" said the spirit, smirking at the murderous intent lurking in the girl's eyes.

Instead of flying into a state of uncontrollable rage, Ryumiko angrily flipped onto her side, facing away from him and pulled the sheets over her. Haku grinned in what he thought was his triumph. A few more minutes of silence passed, and despite Ryumiko's wishes to see if she could meet the one who gave her the clothes, she'd fallen asleep.

Haku stayed awake for a few more hours, when something bright blue shone through the window. He got out of bed and crouched, prepared for an attack, ready to transform if the need be. The light grew brighter as something fairly large slithered through the window frame. It gave a short burst of light as it began to shrink, changing into the shape of a human. Haku stared at the newcomer.

It was a tall woman with a young face and pure white hair that trailed along the floor. She was dressed in a similar robe as the first dress Ryumiko had worn. It was long and the colour of the night sky, with hints of a deep blue along the edges of the fabric. Her eyes were a glistening silver as she observed Haku. Her white painted lips parted slowly as she spoke. "I have no quarrel with you, young child," she said, her voice echoing like chimes in his ears.

"I am protecting this girl and I ask why you come here unannounced," retorted Haku, glaring at the older woman.

The woman's white lips turned ever so slightly upwards as she moved her silvery gaze from him to the sleeping human girl. "This girl is important to the Spirit World. Even the clan of dragons have acknowledged this."

Haku stood straighter, "Why are you here?"

The woman smiled, "Cautious aren't we? Good. I must inform you that most of the Dragon's power has been taken from us. Our clan was tricked by Yubaba. She holds more than half of our power in her hands. Even if she knows she can't use it herself, she has lessened us as her opponents. We are now as weak as common serpent spirits. In spite of this, our oracle told us that a human girl would come to free the Spirit World from Yubaba. Though we are weakened, we have been providing for and protecting this girl as best as we can in hiding. We_ do_ apologise for Retsu's reckless behaviour earlier today."

Haku frowned, "I did not feel a change in my powers as a dragon spirit."

She nodded, "You would not have. You separated your power from ours, the moment you started working for Yubaba. Now that you're free, your power is your own. Which is why we are all counting on you as her protector."

The woman left silence as she placed a set of new clothes beside Ryumiko's bed. She moved slower than necessary, letting the situation sink in for Haku. Her white hair fell over her shoulder as she bent down, illuminating in the moon's soft light.

Haku was quick to recover, "But she can't be the prophesised one! She has not lived in the Spirit World before."

The woman's eyebrows twitched ever so slightly downwards, "Our orcale foresaw a human girl with midnight black hair and eyes the colour of the ocean. Where did you receive _that _prophecy?"

"Zeniba, twin sister of Yubaba. They hate each other so there is no threat on her side," Haku said.

The woman's frown deepened, "We are sure this is girl. However I shall report back to the clan and see what they make of this. My brother Retsu shall remain during the day to make sure there is no harm to her until we know exactly who she is."

Haku nodded his undrestanding, "May I request your name before you leave?"

The woman gave a short smile as she glowed once more a brilliant blue, "Yukaoi."

"Kohaku," Haku said bowing farewell to the woman.

As she began to once again glow a brilliant blue, she said something quickly before she left, "Do not tell the human of our existence. It would be troublesome for us dragons."

Yukaoi's human form shuddered before lengthening into the shape of a dragon, whose dark-coloured scales matched the dark shade of the dress she was wearing. Within seconds, when the blue light had faded, she had blended into the night sky and disappeared.

Though Haku did not know why it'd be a problem to tell Ryumiko about the dragon clan protecting her, he decided it would be best to heed the woman's words. The dragon clan were a highly formidable power in the Spirit World, one he should have returned to, upon freeing himself from Yubaba, however he hadn't. He did not think that the dragon clan would have accepted his love for a human, so he remained alone, for when Chihiro came back.

He sighed as he felt an urge to get back into bed. As he felt himself drifting off asleep, he grimly imagined Ryumiko's smirk when he'd tell her 'he never saw anyone leave or enter her room'.

* * *

**Woo! Updating nicely so far! EXCEPT EXAMS TOMORROW! NOOOOOooooooooo...! ALSO IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW! AHHH MIXED EMOTIONS!**

**Many thank-yous to:**

Mysticbreeze327

Crystal-Wolf-Guardain-967

Spastic Treehugger

**I loved getting reviews from you! Why? Because reviews are my life! Not really but they're up there on that list next to chocolate!  
**

**REVIEW PLEASE?**

**IT'S MY BIRTHDAY TOMORROW! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

Unrelenting. That was the best way the dragon could describe the human girl who now lived with Rin. Haku had taken heed of Yukaoi's words, and decided that it was best that he kept watch over her during the day, especially to prevent her from wandering too close to certain windows.

Although the plan was working, and nothing had been destroyed by any sudden monster attacks for four days, the human girl had been pestering him for the past two days non-stop, just to step outside. She had tried every excuse she could think of. She hadn't had enough sun. She felt sick. She wanted to get Chihiro. She wanted to make sure Rin was okay. The list just kept on going, and the excuses or reasons to leave getting more obscure.

"What if Chihiro was out there at this very moment, and we don't realise because you're imprisoning me here?" Ryumiko argued, feigning concern for Chihiro while pacing the length of her room over and over, the silvery hem of her grey dress fluttering behind her. Haku simply rolled his eyes at her tactic.

Noticing Haku had yet again wordlessly rejected her proposal to leave, she moved onto the next thing that came into her mind, "Oh come _on_ Haku! It's not like I'm going to be alone! You'll be right beside me so I'm not going to get mauled by some demonic raven again if I have a dragon spirit on my side, right? Besides, what if my aunt comes here because she's looking for me? Then Yubaba would kidnap her and take her hostage, leaving you with an extra problem huh? That's it, you should really let me out to clear things with my aunt! You don't want another thing troubling you right?"

When the dragon remained silent, she huffed and tried to think up a new excuse, one that would definitely get her out of the stifling house. She finally stopped pacing and fixed excited blue eyes on his own green ones.

"What is it?" he asked impatiently, waiting for her to give up already.

The girl took a step towards him, "What's it like to fly?"

The dragon spirit raised an eyebrow. Had she finally given up? "It's - It's kind of like -"

Blue eyes waited expectantly at his answer.

"It feels like you can do anything," he said quietly, never really having to describe the _feeling_ of flying to someone before. "You feel - stronger... and lighter at the same time. All your concerns seem to leave you as -"

He stopped abruptly, feeling like he was rambling nonsense. He glanced embarrassedly at the human girl, wondering if she thought he was strange for saying such personal things to someone that he had hardly gotten to know. Instead of seeing the judgemental expression he expecte, Ryumiko wasn't looking at him, rather staring wistfully out the window. She blinked up at him though, when she realised he'd stopped talking.

"Is there something wrong?" she asked him, concern suddenly plastering her face. When he exhaled deeply, she took it as a no. Instead, she let Haku gaze in horror as her expression slowly turned mischevious. "So, Haku..." she said, sauntering away from him, sitting on her bed, a calculating grin on her face.

"I think I want you to show me what it's like to fly!" she said.

Haku scoffed, "And here I thought you'd finished with your silly ideas to get out of the house..."

"Well this is for _your _benefit as well, because if you don't, I will begin to talk incessantly until you agree," she said smirking.

"You've been talking incessantly since I met you. It is nothing new and I have managed to keep my sanity quite well. I can easily decline to your offer," Haku replied haughtily, hardly thinking that the girl could prove to be anymore irritating than she alread was.

With that, Ryumiko inhaled loudly with a sly smile and began speaking as quickly and coherently as possible...

"Really Haku, you should really know better. I don't think you thought this through! I mean seriously I can talk like this for ages, since I used to use this on Chihiro when she was being unreasonable as well. It's funny though. I wonder how long you'll last? Maybe forever? But that's okay because remember I can talk like this for hours and hours and hours and hours and hours without needing to eat and my voice has never gone hoarse after talking non-stop. I really want to go flying, don't you think that it's unfair that you're holding all the glory of flying to yourself? That's selfish. I wonder what Rin's doing right now. Who knows? Maybe we'll never know! Just like the thing with my clothes and that red dragon. I wish I knew his name so I could say thank you. I really want to paint this room, it's really too bright in the morning because I forget to put the curtains up before I sleep! I like the moon. Do you? Do you like sweet stuff? Because you really don't look like the type to like them. And also you should know th-"

She was stopped momentarily by Haku's hand covering her mouth. He grinned when he'd thought he'd won, stopping her flow of speech with a simple gesture such as this proved her method futile. He marvelled at the sudden silence, the talking had been grating his nerves with every word that passed her lips. He watched her eyes narrow before she continued, even with his hand covering her mouth, "Mmmph ngh mimph yufuph rummum mpf, mummg gumph fum..."

Haku shuddered when he realised her continuous muffled speech was even worse.

"OKAY! I will show you what it's like to fly... outside of the house... As long as I can set rules!" Haku said, surrenderring, not quite believing how one girl could cause him to give up so easily.

Releasing her mouth, she smiled brightly. "That's fine! Just as long as you let me fly with you sometime!" she said chirpily, sticking out her hand.

Haku took the offered hand and closed the deal with a single shake, instantly regretting his decision, the moment Ryumiko silently leapt up and danced around the room. As he watched her dance of victory, he noticed the careful way she held herself as she flitted about the room.

"Do you by chance... peform dance in the World of the Living?" he asked, watching as the grey dress on the girl, slowly and reluctantly came to a stillness, the hem settling around her ankles.

Ryumiko giggled and scratched the back of her head nervously, "Uh - I guess that's what you could call it! Can I ask _you_ something?"

When Haku nodded, she sat down, "Why do you and Rin still go by those names? Since you're free from Yubaba, don't you want to be called by your real names?"

Haku's lips pressed together in thought, "Well, for Rin, she hasn't been called anything other than 'Rin' for over half a decade. For me, I'm happy just knowing my own name. People may call me whatever they want."

Ryumiko's eyes had widened considerably in fascination, which made Haku worry for her mental state, as he'd given her a very uninteresting answer.

"Rin's over fifty years old?" she cried.

Haku shook his head in exasperation, "That is all you got out of what I just said?"

"No no! I understood everything else, but man! Rin looks exactly they way she did eight years ago in Chihiro's drawings! How can she be so... old?"

"Aging works differently in the Spirit World," he said dryly. "Although time passes, physical features generally take time to mature unless the spirit in question wishes to age." He was taken by suprise as she suddenly got too close to his face for comfort.

Her glittering blue eyes bored into his as she spoke, "How old are you then Mr. Dragon?"

Haku pushed her away a little, "That is nothing you need to know."

The girl sat back down and folded her arms across her chest. "I think I deserve to know! I can't have my dear eighteen year old cousin falling in love with an eight thousand year old guy, can I?" she said with an edge of humour in her voice. "I actually don't mind but hey, it would have been interesting to know."

"You crazy brat," Haku mumbled as she stood to get something to eat.

"And you're an ancient old man," she said back to him as she walked out the door. "When I've finished eating, I want to hear about these 'rules' before you show what it's like to fly!"

* * *

Elsewhere, Yukaoi was pacing the length of the large marble hall she was waiting in, her silver eyes clouded with worry. She hadn't expected to be seen when she'd gone to deliver clothing to the prophecised one... That was a mistake. But then again it _was_ a fellow dragon so it might have been okay. The dark, night-coloured cloth of the dress she wore, made her stand out against the pale marble. She was dressed in her finest to meet the Dragon Clan's leaders, preparing herself for the interrogation she was about to receive.

The Dragon Clan's leaders had not all gathered like this for thousands of years, no enemy really being too powerful for any one division to handle. The Dragon Clan was really just the name for the race of dragons. Of course they had leaders but that was only because they were the most powerful where they lived, and thus were granted rule over all the dragons living within their territory. The Dragon Clan, also meant that all the dragons in the said clan, shared a great power source... one that was now in the hands of Yubaba.

Yukaoi had also been wondering what the two prophecies meant. Why were there two in the first place? The prophecy the Dragon Clan had been given was specific to the person in question, and they had easily discovered a human spirit that matched their description. However, the dragon Kohaku had said that it was a human spirit who had previously lived in the Spirit World before. Apparently the human had not done so. The thought that the dragon spirit Kohaku, had been so adamant that the black haired girl was not the one they were looking for, but was still protecting her for some reason... It seemed clear to her that the girl was important to finding this other human, based on the dragon Kohaku's actions.

"Miss Yukaoi!" called a messenger spirit, bowing to the dragon. "The clan leaders are ready to address you."

Straightening her back, she walked through the large marble door the messenger held open for her. She walked forward into the dimly lit room, seeing the leaders all seated before her, surrounding a glowing orb imbedded in the floor. Yukaoi's heart wrenched at the weak glow of the orb. This orb was the source of all the Dragon Clan's power, which once lit up the room as if it were always daytime, now diminshed to little more than the glow of a campfire. She took the seat opposite them, staring grimly at the orb.

The oldest and most powerful leader stood, beginning the meeting, "Yukaoi, what news is so urgent that you have requested our presence?"

As he seated back down, she told them of the meeting with Kohaku and aboutthe two prophecies about the Spirit World's saviour. She noticed the gradual darkening of the leader's expressions as she spoke, questions greatly rising.

"Are you sure the human has not lived here before?" one of the younger leaders asking.

Yukaoi sighed, "The dragon Kohaku has told me that she has not. It seemed Kohaku believed someone else was prophesised, but that the human we are protecting has some connection to her. If that is the case, I believe it necessary to keep protecting this human until certainty has settled."

The leaders all nodded, the eldest standing up once more, "We shall investigate further into these two prophecies and decide on a course of action later. Until that time, Yukaoi, find out more about the human Kohaku believes is the one we need."

Yukaoi nodded and was dismissed. She fled the room, finding it stifling. The loss of their power was still too raw. She was too proud, and she knew it, but to have her people's noble power in the hands of a greedy and filthy witch made her feel sick. She hated powerlessness. She wondered if this was how the dragon Kohaku had felt under the rule of Yubaba. Yukaoi had never met him before last night, but it had come as a surprise to the dragons she knew when they heard rumours that he was the servant of a witch. Surely he was famous for something extraordinary then. If that was the case, it must have been so excruciatingly difficult for him to bear being trapped in a cage.

She was going to talk to have to talk to Kohaku anyway, to find out this mysterious human he seemed to think was the real prophecised one.

* * *

Chihiro miserably rubbed away the pecil marks she'd drawn on the page. She hadn't been able to sketch anything else except for the pair of green eyes that currently plagued her mind. Why now of all times had Haku's face appeared, just when she was finally getting over him and starting to like someone else? She couldn't be feeling guilty for liking someone else, because let's face it, the dragon spirit had never come to see her in eight years, what did _she_ have to feel guilty for? For not waiting oh-so-calmly and patiently for another unknown number of years? That would just be so unfair.

Though it still bothered her that all of a sudden she was seeing his face.

Tossing the sketchbook into the corner of the apartment, Chihiro sighed as she made her way to the wardrobe to get ready for her date with Allen. She really liked the guy, and he was, you know, human. They had the same art class together and over time they'd gotten to know each other. She had a good feeling about the date, even though she was nervous out of her mind.

Her mobile went off, just as she changed into a nice dress. Lookng at the caller, she noticed it was her mother.

"Mum?" she asked, answering the call.

"Ryumiko's missing! No-one can find her anywhere! You two are like sisters. She hasn't told you anything has she? It's like she just vanished into thin air!" her mother cried. Chihiro felt like dropping the phone, a sinking feeling coming over her.

"M-Mum! Calm down! Did she leave anything at home or is everything of hers still there?" she asked.

After a few sniffles from the other end, her mother spoke, "She left everything here except the clothes on her back. Last time we spoke she was going out for a jog! She said wanted to get excercise over the holidays."

"I need to go Mum but I'll come over there in a few days okay? Bye and don't worry!" she said hurriedly, quickly hanging up. She knew where Ryumiko was... Her cousin _never_ excercised. Her cousin had multiple times told her that she'd rather become obese than force herself to do something she hated, and that something was any sort of fitness. Ryumiko had not gone out for jogs during the holidays, she was taking advantage of her absence. She'd been looking for the Spirit World... and she'd found it.

Chihiro glared at the sketchbook in the corner. She'd tried so hard to keep her younger cousin away from that world, not wanting her to meet the grotesque witch that ran the bath-house. Yubaba had been so furious that Chihiro had bested her in front of her entire staff, and was probably even more angry, since she'd told Haku his real name. If Yubaba still held a grudge against her, she didn't know what would happen if she got her hands on Ryumiko.

"Damn..." Chihiro mumbled as she dialled Allen to cancel their first date. Fate seemed to conspire against Chihiro to have a normal peaceful life...

* * *

**YAY! Only one more exam to gooo! Haha! Now Chihiro knows! Oooh I'm so excited for the next chapter!**

**Also thank you for the birthday wishes! ^.^**

**Many thank-yous to:**

Mysticbreeze327 (I think Chihiro's got eight years of pent up rage, ready to vent on Haku XD It will be interesting!)

InkWoven (I am very glad you like it! Don't worry I do that too with other stories XD)

Laugh. While. Crying (Did some of this clear up your confusion? If not please tell me ^-^)

cynthiarox66 (Thank you for reviewing! :3)

**I loved getting reviews from you! Why? Because reviews are my life! Not really but they're like random gifts people sometimes surprise you with! PURE AWESOMENESS!  
**

**REVIEW PLEASE?**

**FEEEEEED MY ADDICTION!**


	8. Chapter 8

Ryumiko sat with an enormous bowl of rice in her arms, eating away happily as she waited for Haku to give her the 'rules' before he showed her 'what it was like to fly'... basically letting her out of the house. The only sounds were the soft click of the girl's chopsticks and almost inaudible munching in the room. Her long black hair had been arranged into a very untidy bun as she ate her lunch, not wanting to mistakenly chew on locks of her own hair while she enjoyed the meal.

Haku meanwhile, had his eyebrows close together in a tight frown as he tried to make foolproof rules for the girl so that she couldn't find a single loophole. He had thought up many rules, but all of them had many gaps for Ryumiko to easily work her way around.

"_So_..." Ryumiko said between mouthfuls of rice. "The concentration you're putting into this is great and all, but I will say that the sound of silence is deafening. Have you got a single rule for me yet?"

Haku raised an eyebrow, "Ignoring the irony of that statement, I am finding neither your chatter nor this silence to be beneficial to my thoughts, so I will just have to say them as they come to me."

The girl looked at him skeptically with blue orbs. "The spontaneity of your actions is incredible," she remarked dully with an edge of sarcasm, before resuming her feast.

"First rule, you will _not_ under any circumstances make any attempts to escape while outdoors, _whatsoever_," Haku ordered, raising a long white finger as if to emphasise the point.

"But what if you _tell _me to run away because we're being attacked? Hypothetically of course."

"First rule, you will _not, _unless ordered to otherwise, make any attempts to escape while outdoors, _whatsoever_," he huffed, closing the loophole she'd created.

"You said 'unless ordered to otherwise'... what if someone else saw me in the clutches of a terrifying dragon and told me to escape? In that case I'd be ordered to escape, and be allowed to," Ryumiko said.

Haku felt his left eye twitch ever so slightly. "_First rule_, unless ordered to otherwise _solely by myself_, you will _not _make _any _attempts to escape while we're outdoors. _What. So. Ever,_" the dragon spirit huffed, his patience running dangerously thin.

Ryumiko struggled to not laugh. It was much too easy and much too amusing for her to irritate Haku. She loved pinpointing the flaws in his obvious need for order and control. Though she knew it was making more restrictions for her when she finally got outside, she took joy out of pulling the ends of his rope.

Haku was about to crack by the time they got to the end of his rules.

"Okay let's recap...

"_First rule_, unless ordered to otherwise solely by myself, you will not make any attempts to escape while we're outdoors.

"_Second rule_, you will not unless _I _tell you to do otherwise, stray away from a metre's distance from my person.

_"Third rule_, if by some random and coincidentally horrific stroke of fate, you 'fall off' me while I'm a dragon and get kidnapped, lost, harmed or any other unfortunate circumstance that may befall you, you are to keep yourself alive by any means possible until I, someone else sent by me or someone with unusually good intentions comes to your rescue. If you die from the fall then clearly this rule is void as you so kindly pointed out.

_"Fourth rule_, you are to keep as silent as humanly possible unless warning me of potential danger coming towards us.

_"Fifth rule_, you are to keep as close to me as possible to avoid being noticed by enemies, unless I tell you otherwise, or if the circumstances such as the ones mentioned in rule number three, prevent this from happening...

"Is that clear?" he huffed, exhaustion from having to deal with the infuriating girl seeping into the tone of his voice.

Ryumiko smiled and nodded, half her enormous bowl of rice consumed by the time he'd finished.

"Can I add a few rules?" she asked cheerfully.

Haku groaned, "What other rules could you possibly add?"

She cleared her voice dramatically before speaking, "What about 'The flight has to at least be thirty minutes long and at night'?"

Haku frowned, "I'll agree to the first part of that rule but what does flying at night have to do with anything?"

"Personally I prefer the moon, I think it's prettier than the sun. Plus, wouldn't I be less recognisable to enemies at night? Also Yubaba would be busy with her bath-house at night so that'd eliminate her as a threat wouldn't it?" she said with a smile.

Needless to say, the dragon spirit with her was bewildered by her logic, presuming her to be incapable of concluding something so strategic.

"Fine then. Is tonight too soon?" Haku asked wanting this whole ordeal to be over already. He expected her to be happy he was letting her out already, however he wasn't expected for the body that flew at him.

Ryumiko leapt at him with a bone-crushing hug, the bowl of rice rolling off somewhere, leaving a trail of rice in its path.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" she repeated, hugging Haku harder with each 'thank you'.

Haku let a small smile creep onto his face at the girl's antics. Annoying as she could be at times, she seemed like a fairly ordinary girl at that moment. He managed to wrench a hand free and pat the top of her head, "Ryumiko, could you let go now?"

Her eyes snapped open as she realised what she was doing. She was hugging Haku... Haku... her cousin Chihiro's first love... of which Chihiro _herself_ did not even hug, albeit, did not hug while Haku was conscious, according to her fairytales. With a light blush of embarrassment coating her cheeks, she let go of the dragon spirit and stepped away.

"Sorry! I did that unconsciously... I guess..." she laughed nervously, averting her gaze. Her sight suddenly settled on her mess of a lunch. "Oh bugger!" she cried disappointedly as she fled the room, following the trail of rice to her runaway meal.

* * *

Yukaoi found Retsu perched lazily on a tree, a short distance away from the prophecised one's residence. His long red hair, out of its usual braid, gently moved around him in the breeze as his sharp golden eyes focused on the house ahead of him. Yukaoi sighed. No-one would know simply by looks that they were siblings, the two being completely different in almost every way except by blood relation. One clear trait they did share however, was their personality. Although they had different interests, the calm and collected manner in which they acted was almost identical.

"How goes the guarding of the prophecised one? " she asked him.

Retsu sent her a short glance, letting her know he acknowledged her presence, "It is without trouble."

"Have you learnt much from your observations?"

With this question, a crooked smile formed on the red dragon's lips. "Her name is Ryumiko. Her ability to stay composed without anything to do is not great, and is usually compensated for by harrassing others for what appears to be entertainment. She enjoys eating unusually large quantities of food in one sitting and as I recently discovered, prefers the moon to the sun."

Yukaoi raised an eyebrow at her unlikely sibling, "You seem to have learnt much."

"It is not like I had much else to do, and her interactions amuse me. How did your meeting with the Clan Leaders fare?" Retsu asked.

With a sigh she answered, "I am to investigate further on this girl Kohaku thinks is the prophecised one, connected to-"

"Ryumiko," Retsu finished for her.

"Thank you, the girl connected to Ryumiko."

Retsu nodded, "Although it seems you will have to do that tomorrow. The human girl has finally coerced Kohaku into letting her be flown around by him tonight."

Yukaoi huffed. "The recent events are most definitely unhelpful," she said defeatedly.

* * *

When night had fallen, Ryumiko was excitedly tying her hair back for the flight, anxious to finally get out of the house. Ryumiko had many times dreamed of flying on a dragon, thanks to her cousin's stories, imagining the feeling of flight. All she had to go on was Chihiro's vague descriptions of the feeling of 'weightless-ness'. Now after much deliberation, she was finally going to fufill her childhood dream. It was like the feeling of finally buying that hing you'd saved up all your money for... only with much more excitement.

In the kitchen Rin was trying not to laugh at the fact that the usually calm and stoic 'dragon-boy', had lost his almost marble-like resolve to a human girl only just reaching the age of sixteen.

"It is not funny!" Haku said sharply, wanting to reclaim some of the dignity he had left from Rin's taunting. When it was finally silent, he resumed, "I'm not going to be here to make sure you're safe so you need to be careful."

Rin nodded, seriousness beginning to creep into the mood.

Ryumiko waltzed into the kitchen with a big grin on her face, "I'm ready!"

Haku turned to her, "Do you remember the rules?"

Nodding enthusiastically, she grabbed his hand and tried pulling him towards the door, "Yes yes I've got it! Now let's go already!"

"Then I guess it's time to leave," Haku said half to himself and half to Rin and Ryumiko.

* * *

**EXAMS ARE OVER! YEAH! I can not wait to write the next chapter! Why? Because the next chapter is what started this whole story! EXCITED!**

**And we see more of Retsu *grins*... Just to clarify why I grin weirdly to myself here: In my head, Retsu is a total babe. Oh. My. Goodness.  
I love his character and I'm so pumped to write more of him!**

**Many thank-yous to:**

Mysticbreeze327 (Yup... it'll be interesting alright XD)

Animala (I'm glad you like my story! I can't wait for them to finally see each other again too! *squeals*)

Laugh. While. Crying (I don't mind the questions :) It helps me improve my writing. I re-submitted the last chapter and added a short explanation towards the end of Haku's conversation with Ryumiko. But if it still doesn't make sense,don't worry because I'll be explaining a little further in detail next chapter anyway :D)

cynthiarox66 (Thank you for the compliment :3 Hehe I can't wait for ChihiroHaku fluff too!)

Ground-Cinnamon (Thank you for the review and here's the update!)

**I loved getting reviews from you! Why? Because reviews are WHAT KEEPS ME HAPPY AND WRITING WITHOUT WRITER'S BLOCK!**

**REVIEW PLEASE?**

**It's my cure for writer's block  
and  
the key to my motivation!**

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REVIEW DANG-NABBIT!**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: As I mentioned in the last chapter, this flight scene is the spark of inspiration that began the plotline for this entire story so I just want to give it some credit as being one of the most important scenes in this story.  
****For any of you interested, the flight scene was inspired by a piece of music, "Sea Horses :: by Christian Henson" from "The Secret of Moonacre" movie.**

**Here's a link if you're the kind of person who likes to listen to music while you read :)  
**http:/ www. youtube. com/ watch?v= reDVgb159EQ **= Remove the spaces from the address**

**Disclaimer:**

I don't own The Secret Of Moonacre or any of it's associated franchise...

I FORGOT TO PUT A DISCLAIMER FOR THIS STORY TOO!

**Disclaimer for entire story:**

I do not own Hayao Miyazaki's Characters or any of his associated works (Spirited Away)

* * *

Haku's hand hovered over the door handle tentatively, all the possible bad endings to their little trip suddenly flooding him. He didn't get much of a chance to deliberate with himself over the matter as Ryumiko opened the door for him, pushing him outside with her. She stuck to the rules and stepped only a metre away from the dragon spirit, taking a dramatic intake of breath.

Ryumiko had never told anyone, for fear of being called crazy, that she found the moonlight positively magical. She even actively went out of her way at night, just to see the moon and observe the way its pale light lit up everything so uniquely and mysteriously. She held out her arms and looked at the shadows made on the grass. Getting lost in the moment, she did a small twirl, loving the way the grey dress she wore looked like the moon itself in the moonlight.

Haku cleared his throat, snapping the girl out of her moment. She abruptly stopped moving, the faintest blush coating her cheeks.

"Now remember, don't let go of my mane, okay?" Haku warned, choosing to save Ryumiko the embarrassment by pretending he hadn't seen anything. She nodded her understanding, smiling softly.

With that, Haku slowly changed into his dragon form. Lengthening and paling as scales appeared on his body. As his features became animalistic, she watched with child-like fascination as her fantasies came alive, still not quite really believing that she was _actually_ going to ride a dragon. As soon as Haku had finished transforming, Ryumiko had leapt onto his back, taking hold of his mane as if she were riding bareback on a horse. He was surprised with the ease in which she'd climbed onto his back, as if she'd done something like this before.

"Let's go!" she urged, leaning down close to Haku, to both keep herself hidden and to make his flight easy with less hindrance, knowing that if she kept low, she'd keep the streamlined shape the dragon was supposed to have in the first place. Wind resistance. That's what it was called, she was minimising the wind resistance. She was glad for her science lessons in school she mused, though almost laughed at the way she'd applied said science. Her teacher's face would have been priceless if she'd told her the only time she actively used her knowledge of the sciences was to ride a dragon.

Haku leapt into the air with a strong push from his legs, noting the way Ryumiko managed to easily stay close to him while he flew, without making it awkward or difficult for him. She almost felt like she wasn't there, as if she was just another part of his body. If he were in his human form, he would've frowned. The blue-eyed girl seemed as if she had been trained to ride a dragon. He continued to fly her around, trying to work out why or how the girl knew how to ride a dragon properly.

Meanwhile Ryumiko was deliriously happy, feeling like a bird, floating on air and oblivious to Haku's wonder. She could hardly hear the wind rushing past her ears as she rested the side of her head on Haku, watching the moon as they flew past it. She herself didn't know why she was so in love with the moon, but enjoyed the moment anyway.

Ryumiko noticed something odd below them and gasped. It looked like Yubaba! Remembering the 'rule' of which she was required to keep silent, she nudged Haku's sides gently with her feet to gain his attention, much like one would do with a horse. Haku was stunned when his body reacted without his consent to the girl's gesture, suddenly stopping mid-air.

Ryumiko was caught-off guard and held on tighter to the dragon's mane, to stop herself from falling. She glanced back down to the ground, where she'd thought she'd seen Yubaba, she sighed in relief when she saw that it was just a rock that looked like the witch.

"What was that?" she asked worriedly. "Are you okay?" When Haku had composed himself, he gave a little shrug with his shoulders that Ryumiko felt underneath her, before continuing the flight. Haku lifted his large head a little to look at the small human girl on his back with a single green eye.

Ryumiko frowned, surely Haku wasn't _glaring_ at her? How was his sudden stop _her_ fault?... _Was_ it her fault?

She raised an eyebrow inquisitively, and repeated the previous action. After lightly nudging Haku's sides with her legs, he stopped flying immediately. Ryumiko's eyes went wide.

Haku growled a little clearly saying, _Stop doing that! Just sit still already! _With what sounded like a deep exhale, Haku slowly began to fly off again.

Ryumiko grinned and repositioned her hands on his mane, before swiftly tugging the left side of the mane. With a confused growl, Haku turned sharply to the left, not understanding why he had no control over his body. The girl's grin never left, excited that she had this new kind of leverage over Haku.

Haku was absolutely fuming. His body was obeying Ryumiko's commands like a common horse, and he seemed unable to transform back into a human while she had this control over him. He hadn't even known his body reacted like a normal animal's when he was in his dragon form!

Ryumiko's grin softened a little into a smile of enjoyment, "Okay Haku, let's try something out..."

Haku was about to protest, until he felt his body smoothly bending to her will; his movements nowhere near as jerky or as abrupt as they had been previously. It was almost like he wasn't the one flying anymore, rather it felt like Ryumiko was the one flying. It was an odd situation in which he was both comfortable and uncomfortable at the same time.

Ryumiko noticed that Haku had calmed somewhat, no longer seeming quite as tense as he was before, so she assumed she was doing _something_ right. Was riding a dragon as difficult as this for Chihiro? How come her cousin had managed to control Haku's dragon form quite comfortably straight away? Thinking about the rules Haku had laid out for her, she decided that a little further experimenting was still within boundaries.

Haku felt his body begin to rise upwards and lean back. He realised in horror that she was attempting to do a "loop-de-loop", something Rin had asked him if he could perform while flying a while back. While he _could,_ though never would out of his own volition, perform a so-called "loop-de-loop", he worried about Ryumiko who was attempting something so dangerous. And he was right to do so. She panicked when she felt her grip slipping while she was upside down and pulled Haku's mane the wrong way, causing him to shake violently and throw off the human girl.

There was a moment of silence as blue and green eyes met. As she realised her near future that possibly involved death, Ryumiko let out a scream, watching with increasing despair as the world rushed past her, knowing Haku wouldn't be able to reach her on time. She shut her eyes tightly when she believed herself to be nearing the ground, only to have the wind knocked out of her as she felt herself being suddenly pulled upwards again. Confused about what had happened, she nervously opened her eyes again, seeing the ground a long distance away from her, and gradually getting smaller.

She was soon aware of the grip around her waist and she looked up to see what it was. When her eyes met flaming red scales, she recognised the red dragon that had saved her before.

"You-!" she blurted, quite lost for words. The red dragon turned his head to look at her with one blazing golden orb, quietly scrutinising her. The red dragon indicated with his head for her to climb onto his back, lifting the claw he held her in to make it easier for her. Quickly climbing on, she grasped the red dragon's white mane fiercely, determined to not fall off again. The red dragon noticed and Ryumiko felt vibrations underneath her.

"Are you laughing?" she asked incredulously, wondering how it was possible to laugh at such a thing. When the dragon vibrated some more, she concluded that he was in fact laughing at her.

"It just seemed like a good idea in the moment okay? It was fun until I realised my own limits," she said disappointedly, to which the red dragon resumed his chuckling.

The red dragon began a slow descent to the ground, to which the human girl was glad to see... until she saw a positively pissed off Haku waiting for her.

Once she had her feet on the ground again, the red dragon shifted back to his human form. His long red hair braided behind him, standing out against the white fabric of his clothes. The spirit quickly put his arm around her when he saw her stagger a little, obviously still shaken from her fall, "Are you alright Ryumiko?"

Ryumiko frowned up at him, "I'm fine, although unfortunately I don't appear to know your name as you know mine."

The red-haired man stepped a little away from her and gave a short bow, "I would be honoured if you call me Retsu."

"Why are you bowing? I should be thanking you for saving my life just then," Ryumiko said, rushing to lift the dragon spirit out of his bow. Though she froze when she heard a light growl behind her. She nervously turned to lock eyes with furious green orbs.

"You wouldn't have needed saving if you hadn't pulled a weird stunt like that! Imagine what could've happened if - _Retsu_ hadn't been here to save you!" Haku shouted.

Ryumiko straightened up, defiance suddenly welling inside her, "_Excuse me_? You set out rules and I'm quite sure I followed them almost precisely, except for when I asked if you were okay! Besides, couldn't you have stopped yourself from doing a loop with me?"

Haku grumbled, "I couldn't."

The human girl was shocked, "Wai- Wha-? Why?"

Retsu cleared his throat, grabbing the quarreling two's attention, "I think I may be able to answer that question, but it's not exactly - safe - to explain so openly outdoors."

* * *

Chihiro walked awkwardly into her art class, noticing the thick tension in the air when her eyes met with Allen's. She felt so guilty for leaving him hanging on their first date, but she really couldn't have a date when she knew her cousin was missing. She had explained to him that her cousin was missing and she was extremely worried, and Allen had seemed really calm about it. But looking back on it this morning, she realised that it might have looked like a lame excuse to get out of a date.

As they began working on their projects, Chihiro was absently painting not much in particular, stealing glances at Allen to try and see if it was possible to explain properly, rather than a rushed call over the phone.

She was also insanely worried about Ryumiko being in the Spirit World. She'd scheduled her flight home in the next few days, incase Ryumiko returned home and she had time to cancel her flight if necessary. She huffed under her breath. If Kohaku didn't keep her younger cousin in one piece by the time she got there, he'd have more than hell to pay.

"Chihiro that's incredible!" cried the shrill voice of one of the other classmates whose name she didn't know.

Wondering what the girl was raving about, Chihiro looked at the canvas she'd been painting on. She found herself trying to not throw the canvas across the room at the sight of it. On it was a portrait of Kohaku as she last remembered him.

"Is it anyone in particular?" asked the girl enthusiastically. "Your brother? A friend? First love?"

Chihiro could practically feel the atmosphere thicken between herself and Allen.

Preoccupied with avoiding Allen's gaze, she mumbled, "S-sort of... something like that..."

"Really?" asked the girl loudly as Chihiro realised what she'd said.

"Well! That is to say... We haven't seen each other for eight years! So I don't even know if he still rememebers who I am..." she sighed, just wanting the girl to leave her in her own misery.

The girl in question, unfortunately did not pick up on Chihiro's discomfort with the topic as she continued, "Don't worry! I'm sure he'd fall in love with you when he sees how beautiful you are eight years later!"

Chihiro groaned, mentally strangling the girl for opening her mouth in front of Allen.

'_Thank you, oh-nameless dolt... thank you so very much for filling the hole I've dug myself in with water..._' Chihiro wished she could scream at the girl who skipped happily away believing her words of 'encouragement' to be helping yet another soul in their love life.

* * *

**Aww I'm sorry Allen *sobs* I'm so _mean_! And poor confused Chihiro! WOO! RETSU IS IN THE PICTURE! Yeah! *grins***

**Many thank-yous to:**

Mysticbreeze327 (That would be epic...)

livelovemusic95 (She will eventually! Don't you worry :P)

Laugh. While. Crying (Oh so I realised that both spellings of 'meter/metre' are the same, just the one that I use is the Aussie version [metre] XP)

Ink Woven (Thank you for the review :3)

**I loved getting reviews from you! Why? Because reviews are my DRUGS! Haha kidding! But seriously...**

**REVIEW PLEASE?**


	10. Chapter 10

Ryumiko fidgeted on the kitchen stool, the tension between the two dragon spirits making her unbelievably restless... or irritated to no end. Both the white dragon and red dragon had been throwing well-worded insults at each other since they'd entered Rin's home, and had still been going for nearly half an hour.

"I _did_ say I am sorry for the intrusion, afterall it was my intention to stay hidden. Miss Ryumiko was in danger though and seeing as her _guardian_ was incapacitated at the time, I felt it neccessary to intervene before the honour of the dragon race was sullied," Retsu said flatly, raising a challenging eyebrow at Haku.

"It is true that I may have been incapacitated, however a certain other _lesser_ dragon acquaintance of mine was supposed to tell me why it was so... It seems his abnormally large mouth had other plans tonight," Haku said grimly, not even slightly budging from his emotionless expression.

Ryumiko could've sworn she saw Retsu's eye twitch.

"If you'll be so kind as to let me have a chance to do so, I would be _glad_ to. Unfortunately, my younger sister also wishes to assist me in explaining something quite complex. Something that someone outside of the Dragon Clan would not understand so easily."

Haku growled faintly, "Just because I have spent the last few years under the rule of a witch, does not mean I am completely unable to understand concepts of our heritage."

Retsu sighed, "Well I lied. The dragon leaders were supposed to be the only ones who know about what my sister and I are to tell you."

"And why do you and your sister know?"Ryumiko asked, hoping to alleviate the tension in the atmosphere around them.

Retsu turned to the blue-eyed girl with a dazzling gaze, "Because my sister and I are a different _kind_ of dragon. While most dragons belong to a certain part of the world's landscape, like the Kohaku River here, we are tied to something a little different, though our power still hardly rivals the dragon leaders' power."

"What are you 'tied' to?" Ryumiko asked, her curiosity peaked. She hadn't listened to something so creative in days, and had been deprived of Chihiro's fairytales for years, though fairytales they were not. It felt nice to indulge her creative interest after so long.

Retsu noticed the rapt attention the human girl was gazing at him with, and he cleared his throat awkwardly, not really having been the centre of anyone's attention for reasons other than official business. He was tempted to answer her question, but he wanted to see how long her could keep that curiousity aimed at him.

"I think you should try and guess. It won't be too hard to guess when-" _And she most likely will_, Retsu noted to himself, "-you see either my sister or myself in combat."

Ryumiko, now disappointed that her curiosity was left hanging and very much unsatisfied, she groaned, "Not fair! If either of you get to fight, Haku'll have me trapped in here while all the fighting is out there!" she wailed, indicating with a waving arm to the world beyond the walls of Rin's home.

Retsu smiled at the childish pout she wore, interested as to how the girl could show so many different expressions in such a short amount of time.

"Wait, why would I be able to guess your power if your _sister_ fights?" she asked.

"Because my sister is almost my complete opposite," Retsu said, a small smile on his features.

Ryumiko shuffled slightly, moving herself into a more comfortable position in which to imagine what Retsu's sister looked like. Haku, already having met Yukaoi, had to agree with Retsu's comment about the siblings being polar opposites. Where Yukaoi had an elegant and modest air about her, Retsu seemed wilder and less concerned with his surroundings. Another important opposite Haku noticed, was that he almost enjoyed Yukaoi's presence, her nature very easy and friendly... Retsu on the other hand, made Haku want to throw him out of Rin's house with as much force as he could muster.

However, seeing as Ryumiko had taken a liking to the red dragon, and vice versa, he wouldn't be able to do such a thing without having a certain blue-eyed human girl pester hima bout it for weeks.

"And when will Yukaoi get here? I'd much rather be speaking to her again than her simple-minded brother," Haku asked impatiently.

Ryumiko gaped at Haku before speaking. "Eh? 'Again'? Since when did you meet Retsu's sister? How come you never told me?"

Retsu turned to the confused human, "It is probably because Yukaoi told him not to disclose the knowledge of their meeting to you."

"Why would she do that?"

"Because we can't have you gallavanting about the Spirit World looking for the Dragon Clan," a soft melodic feminine voice answered.

All three turned their heads to see Yukaoi, dressed in a simple, long-sleeved, floor-length dark dress, and her hair loose down her back and lightly brushing against the floor. Her white painted lips were pulled into a friendly smile as her glistening silver eyes seemed to say hello to each person in the room.

Ryumiko immediately leapt to her feet, eyes wide at the sight of the tall woman. The human girl had a moment to herself as she had completely imagined a princess to look as ethereal and as lovely as Yukaoi did. And then her imagination went wild, now all of the princesses in all the stories she'd read or had been told, replaced by the image of Retsu's sister. Cinderella, Rapunzel, all of them with Yukaoi's face.

Now completely taken over by her own fantasies, Ryumiko bowed low to the dragon lady, a figure of royalty in her mind's eye.

"Pleased to meet you Miss Yukaoi! My name is Ryumiko," she said quickly.

Haku looked a little stunned for a second, before he realised what she must have been thinking. This hyper-active imagination was the main cause of Ryumiko's obsession with fairytales and stories, in particular Chihiro's 'fairytale'.

"Ryumiko, Yukaoi is just another dragon," he said dryly.

Ryumiko glared at the green-haired boy, her vision of a lovely princess shattered before her very eyes. Instead of getting a chance to talk back to Haku, she heard a small giggle coming from Yukaoi's direction.

"Please don't bow so low! If anything, I should be the one bowing to you. I am also honoured to finally make your acquaintance. I hope my brother has not given you too much trouble," she said.

Haku huffed, "Actually, he-"

"-is no trouble at all!" Ryumiko interrupted Haku, crushing his foot with her heel to silence him. Retsu saw this and smirked at Haku, while Yukaoi took no notice of the action.

"Thank goodness! Now I guess you two have waited long enough for a fair explanation," Yukaoi said, finding a spare chair to sit on.

Finding a comfortable looking stool, she picked it up and sat inbetween Haku and Retsu, "Now, where to begin?"

* * *

**Ahhh! Cliffhangerrrrr! I'm so sorry guys! I want to keep the suspense though!**

**Tigeresssa's conscious: No, you're just stalling for more chapters while you think up a way to explain everything that's tangled up in your head!**

**Tigeresssa: *sigh* It's true. I'm stalling!**

**Anyways! For those who inquired, which is most of you, Chihiro unfortunately has some stuff to work out before she comes to the Spirit World! She will get there though don't you worry, but I have more content to write before she can get to the Spirit World... otherwise my whole story falls apart :S**

**Many thank-yous to:**

Mysticbreeze327 (haha! Thank you for reviewing :D)

Animala (Thank you for reviewing!)

Laugh. While. Crying (Thank you for reviewing yet again! And I can't wait for Chihiro and Kohaku to finally see each other again too... but my stoopid brain is making me wait!)

Ink Woven (Haha ooooh yes! As much as it kills me to wait, I am so excited to write those scenes XD)

Hitomi246123 (I'm glad you like my story! Hehe, I've always imagined what it'd be like flying a dragon, and then the idea turned into, 'I wonder what Kohaku would do if he could be controlled as a dragon...' hehehe)

'Kattis' (I'm glad the story works well with the original, I thought it might have been getting a little AU-ish... Thank you for your review!)

**I loved getting reviews from you! Why? Because it's pretty damn obvious how much I love them. I have my phone send me Fanfiction related e-mails so I can see if there's a review. If there is a review, I drop what I'm doing just to check... twice I've had my phone confiscated because I got excited about a review and looked at it during class... once my phone battery died while I was in the middle of reading a review and I let out a loud 'WHAT? NO?'... which also got my phone confiscated seeing as I was screaming at my phone... during class.**

**Anyways! REVIEW ALREADY! I LOVE THEM!**

**PLEASE?**


	11. Chapter 11

All persons in the room went dead silent, as the white-haired Yukaoi began her story.

"Thousands of years ago, there were two kinds of dragon spirits in the Spirit World. There was the race we see today that still thrives, the kind that Restu, Kohaku and I are all a part of, the race of reptillian dragons. And then there was the race of dragon spirits that had no reptillian form but had only a human form. This second race used to be greatest and strongest of the dragon spirits, and had complete control over the reptillian dragon race.

"This nobler race were known as the dragon lords, and ruled harmoniously with the reptillian race. They maintained peaceful order between the dragons and the Spirit World. The nobler race had a monarchy; the Emperor and Empress, followed by the Lords and Ladies, all guarded by knights. The knights, though powerful in strength, were like the rest of the noble race of dragons, unable to fly. Because of this, a unity between the noble and reptillian race of dragons were necessary, as a reptillian dragon, had the ability to take flight. Each knight all had a reptillian partner, in which they rode upon and together defended their royal leaders. Soon after this was done for the knights, every noble had a reptillian dragon as a lifelong companion.

"Because so many of the noble race had a reptillian companion that they rode upon, the noble race of dragons were nicknamed, 'wings'. This was because the companionship, that allowed a noble flight upon a reptillian dragon, was as if they were two parts of the same body joined in an alliance, the noble becoming the 'wings' of the reptillian dragon.

"The peace between the two dragon races, the reptillian and the human-like nobles, was disrupted when a reptillian dragon, the companion of the Emperor at the time, felt unhappy that the reptillian race was beneath the nobles. Thus a rebellion started against the noble race of dragons. And though the noble race were far stronger than the reptillian dragons in terms of power, they were greatly outnumbered and slaughtered in a mass massacre.

"All records of the noble race of dragons was wiped away by the rebellion as the reptillian dragons no longer wanted to be remembered as animals such as horses, ridden by a 'so-called greater species'. Dragons now as children, were usually told the fairytale, that they were born without wings, because they were supposed to find them when they grew older. This was a fairytale that the rebellious reptiles told their children that taught them how to find their 'mate'. But it was really first told to cover up the absence of the nobles or 'wings'.

"However, from what happened tonight, I think that we may have a survivor of the ancient noble dragon race," Yukaoi finished, fixing her gaze on Ryumiko.

Both Retsu and Haku turned to face the blue-eyed girl, each wondering if it was possible.

The girl gaped a little, lost for words momentarily, before finding her voice again, "I-I can't be a dragon spirit! I was born in the _Living World _and I didn't even know dragons _really_ existed until only a week ago! I'm quite sure both my parents were quite human! Not to mention the fact I couldn't be a _noble_ dragon, since I am pretty much made of clumsiness and I can't even walk half as easily as Yukaoi can in these dresses!" she exclaimed, gesturing to the long white dress she was wearing.

Yukaoi smiled, "Well, maybe you're not _all_ dragon spirit but you _could_ be a long lost descendant!"

Ryumiko had a short moment of bliss as she wondered if she was some lost heir to a Lord and Lady before she smacked herself out of the delusion.

"But how would a _spirit_ be able to be born a human? It makes no sense!" Ryumiko questioned.

Everyone was silent as they thought, when Retsu came up with a suggestion, "Maybe you were never _born_ human."

Upon seeing Ryumiko's confused expresssion, the red dragon elaborated, "What I mean to say is, that it's possible for a spirit to enter the Realm of the Living easily. But a spirit's life in the living world is not long so they must either return to the Spirit World, fade into nothingness, or remain in the Living World by taking the body of a deceased being. In your case, you would've taken the body of your 'parents' deceased newborn."

"But wouldn't I _know_ if I was a spirit before I took the body of a dead baby?" Ryumiko asked, all the new information making her confused.

"Not if you were an infant spirit when it happened," Yukaoi said.

"But spirits age slowly don't they?" she questioned, hoping that would stump the dragons.

This time Haku interjected after being silent for the entire conversation, "Spirits can age as fast as they want to remember? Besides, if you believed you were born into the living world, wouldn't you expect yourself to age the same way every other human does? Plus being in a human body would affect that too."

Ryumiko rolled her eyes, "Not you _too_ Haku! I thought you'd think this as ridiculous as I do! There's no way I'm not human!"

There was silence and Yukaoi cleared her throat a little, gaining everyone's attention.

Ryumiko shuddered when her eyes met Yukaoi's silver ones. Her white eyelashes framed cold and expressionless silver orbs. Her voice had lost most of it's friendliness, and now held a serious captivating tone as she spoke.

"Ryumiko, all I am trying to say, is that considering the way you were almost naturally controlling Kohaku in his dragon-beast form, suggests something strikingly similar to the second dragon race's existence. Also raising the possibility of where that ability came from is highly probable. You don't have to believe it in any way, but it's there if you want to find out for yourself. The problem with this is, Yubaba has closed off the gate so that spirits can enter the Spirit Realm but they can not leave. Humans can go in and out as they please, but if you actually are the long lost descendent of the dragon spirit... you may not be _able_ to leave."

* * *

**O.o ...What have I done? I'm so sorry Ryumiko! I really didn't expect this to happen I swear! ****Sorry this took a while to get out there fellas. End of semester at my high school gets sooo busy I hardly found time to write, and I wanted to get this as good as I could. **

**IMPORTANT! **

**Please tell me if you didn't understand most of what I wrote, because it was really hard untangling it for myself, let alone other people!**

**Many thank-yous to:**

Masaki4everDead _(I hope your brain didn't explode during the wait! T^T... I can't wait for Chihiro's entrance either XD)_

SquirtleIsLegit _(I'm glad you like the story and thank you for reviewing! :D)_

ethan23 _(Thank you for the compliment and the review! ^.^)_

Animala_ (Thank you for the review!)_

Laugh. While. Crying _(Thank you for the advice! Hehe, there may be some RyumikoxRetsu-ish stuff soon... well Retsu is a mega-babe... well in my mind he is XD I can't believe I'm fangirling my own character though *facepalm*... this has never happened before! Enough of my silliness, Thank you so much for reviewing!)_

Mi-chan1991_ (I'm glad you like him! I agree, Haku is so uptight! But his scales will certianly get ruffled soon! And no, those pairings aren't just your imagination X3 Thank you for the review!)_

InkWoven _(Ha yeah that was not my best moment, screaming at my phone in class... Thank you for the compliments and reviews!)_

**I loved getting reviews from you! Why? **

**Because to me, reviews are like **

**! CHUCK NORRIS !**

**Anyways! REVIEW ALREADY!**

**PLEASE? The button is just sitting riiiiight here!**

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	12. Chapter 12

**OKAY! Re-cap time! Just 'cause I think we've gotten well into the story, it's time to simply and quickly make sure everything makes sense :) You can skip this if you think you've got the gist of things!**

_Ryumiko, Chihiro's sixteen year old cousin found the Spirit World and is currently living with Rin and kind of, sort of with Haku as well. Ryumiko isn't able to leave the house because of Yubaba and a paranoid Haku. _

_Haku and Rin, after freeing themselves from Yubaba, were cursed by said witch but neither they or Zeniba, know what the curse really is. All they know about their curse, is that a human who has been to the Spirit World once before can free them and has the ability to bring down Yubaba, who is currently taking over the Spirit World. Haku and Rin believe this fits Chihiro's description._

_Ryumiko has met Retsu and Yukaoi, two dragon siblings from the Dragon Clan, the race of dragons who share the same source of power. This power has mostly been stolen by Yubaba, and the Dragon Clan's oracle foretold that a human with black hair and blue eyes can defeather. This looks eactly like Ryumiko but it clashes with what Zeniba has told Haku and Rin._

_Yubaba, in order to protect herself, has closed off the entrance to the Spirit World so that spirits can only go in but can't get out, thus Haku couldn't go to find Chihiro. Humans can still get in and out of the barrier, which is why Ryumiko could enter._

_Ryumiko still doesn't know about the Dragon Clan and their prophecy, she simply still thinks that Chihiro is the only one who can save Haku and Rin. Concerning Retsu and Yukaoi, she just thinks they're just helpful allies inthe Spirit World._

_When Ryumiko coerced Haku into letting her have a 'dragon ride', they discovered that Ryumiko was able to control Haku's dragon form. Yukaoi, then told them about the Dragon Clan's forgotten history, where there were once two dragon species. The two types were Reptillian, the kind of dragon that Haku, Retsu and Yukaoi are, and then the other dragon was called a Noble, who watchd over the Reptillian species. Over time, the Nobles and Reptillians formed companionships with each other, and the Noble dragons, who could not fly, rode upon the Reptillians. Because of this, the Nobles were nick-named 'wings'. _(Hence the title of this story X3)

_Eventually, there was a rebellion and the Noble race of dragons were wiped out, however Yukaoi believes it possible that Ryumiko could be a long lost descendant of this race. They have just considered the possibility that when Ryumiko was an infant spirit, she was taken out of the Spirit World and into the Living World, where her spirit was placed into the deceased body of Ryumiko's 'parent's baby, and thus lived like a human without knowing. Ryumiko doesn't know what to make of this, but Yukaoi points out that if she really is a long lost descendant of the Nobles, then she won't be able to leave the Spirit World, due to Yubaba's barrier._

_Chihiro, who in the meantime has been at college, has a few more days until her flight backhome to help her mother find Ryumiko. Chihiro knows her cousin's whereabouts, but is pretty peeved that she has to go back to the Spirit World to find her. This is because she was trying to forget about the Spirit World (and namely Haku who couldn't coe find her for eight years) and was about to successfully move on but then this happened. Let's just say, Haku's going to get slaughtered if he doesn't watch himself._

**I hope that helps anyone who was confused up to this point!**

* * *

Ryumiko slumped back into her chair in shock. So now, it wasn't that she shouldn't go back home to find Chihiro, it was that she probably _couldn't_ go home. Maybe _ever_. She swallowed a little before speaking, "If... If I am a Noble, how can we tell? I mean, as far as I know, I don't have any powers."

Yukaoi pursed her white painted lips in thought. "I don't know. Maybe this twin of Yubaba's you spoke of might know how," she said, the last sentence aimed at Haku.

"Zeniba is also a powerful witch, but I don't know the full extent of her abilities," Haku explained.

Retsu glanced at Ryumiko. Her head was lowered slightly and her blue eyes fixated on the ground. He could see her knuckles turning white as she gripped the edge of her seat forcefully, as if she was keeping herself from falling.

"Then it is probably worth trying to see what this Zeniba can tell us. Besides, it will be a good excuse to see the rest of the Spirit World from the back of a dragon, don't you think?" Retsu said, directing the question to Ryumiko in hopes of raising the girl's spirits. He knew the girl was not an indoors person, he'd listened to hours of her trying to convince Haku of that fact.

Ryumiko lifted her head to meet Retsu's. The red dragon was relieved to see colour return to the girl's hands as her grip loosened on the chair. The blue eyed girl shook her head violently, surprising the dragons in the room. Once she stopped shaking her head, she slapped both her cheeks before standing up.

"Right, this is no time to feel upset! Time to go see Zeniba!" she declared. Though outwardly she looked like she was brimming with renewed confidence, she was frantically trying to work out for herself if she was really a spirit.

Haku sighed as he saw her making her way to the door. He stood silently and quickly went to pull Ryumiko away from the exit.

"Haku! Let me go!" she grunted, futiley trying to free herself from the dragon's grip. Ignoring her protests, he flung her over his shoulder to make things easier for himself.

"We'll leave in the morning Ryumiko. For now, it's better that you get some rest after everything today," Haku stated calmly, now somewhat used to her escapist behaviour.

Everyone heard a door open, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps that echoed through the small room. As the footsteps got louder, Ryumiko felt Haku's hold around her tense up. Before they knew it, the kitchen door slammed open to reveal one exceedingly angry Rin in her nightgown. Her furious brown eyes widened at the sight of Retsu and Yukaoi, before they settled on Haku, who nonchalantly let go of Ryumiko, who would've fallen to the ground if a certain red dragon hadn't caught her mid-air.

"Do you know... how late it is?" Rin growled, her eyes shadowed in the dim light.

When Haku didn't respond, Rin only got madder, "I was in the middle of a _particularly_ goodnight's sleep, when you, Ryumiko and whoever these people are, barge in for a little 'chit-chat' at such an ungodly hour! Do tell me why these people are in _my _house before dawn, Haku."

"They are informing Ryumiko and myself of valuable details," Haku explained.

Rin raised an eyebrow, "Couldn't they have done that in the morning?"

Yukaoi stood and bowed to the furious woman, "I see that we have rudely intruded on your premises, we shall leave for now. Farewell."

Haku raised a hand, "You don't need to leave."

Rin huffed, "I don't have the resources or money to house this many people Haku!"

"Kohaku, I do believe that we should-" Yukaoi was interrupted before she could finish.

Haku huffed before fixing a determined gaze at the woman, "Rin. This is important."

Rin studied the look in the dragon's green eyes before waving a hand and heading back the way she came, "Fine. Do what you want, I don't care anymore. Just don't wake me up again... _ever_."

Ryumiko giggled at the bickering two before deciding that she felt rather exhausted as well. "Well, where are they going to stay Haku?" she asked.

"I can not stay, I have business elsewhere this evening but I thank you for the offer," Yukaoi said smiling.

Ryumiko turned to Retsu, "What about you?"

Gold eyes met blue momentarily before Retsu looked away, "Well, I've always hung around the area for the past couple of days, so it shouldn't make anymore of a difference staying closer than I usually do."

_Closer to what?_ Ryumiko wondered to herself as Retsu went to say goodbye to Yukaoi.

* * *

It had been decided that Ryumiko, Haku and Retsu would all sleep in the same room, as Ryumiko refused to let their guest sleep in the kitchen, as Haku had suggested.

Ryumiko had offered Retsu some sheets off her bed for him to sleep on, but the red dragon kindly declined. Haku made a cold remark that dragons didn't get as cold as humans did. The blue eyed girl smirked at Haku's comment before using it against him.

"Well if that's the case, _you_ lend him some of _your_ sheets, seeing as you're a dragon and 'don't get cold easily'," Ryumiko ordered. Retsu raised an eyebrow at Haku as the white dragon harshly shoved a couple of blankets in his direction.

Once all three had settled down, and Ryumiko thought the other two were asleep, she sat up in bed and turned to face the full moon. It looked so much different from the ground as she remembered flying alongside it on the back of Haku. She sighed blissfully and got closer to the windowsill, being careful not to get _too _close, thinking about the evil crow-thingie from the last time she got near it.

She smiled as the moonlight hit her face. She was glad that the moon was still the same even in the Spirit World. She knew she wouldn't be able to stand living the Spirit World forever if there was nothing familiar to her. _If_ she really was a spirit of course. She sighed again, but with a more defeated tone to it. It wasn't like she was completely opposed to the idea, being some kind of extinct dragon somewhat sounded intruiging to her imagination, but it felt like someone had told you you were actually a squirrel in human skin... it was just hard to take in, even if it was still only a possibility.

She glanced at Retsu, asleep on the ground next to her bed. His red hair was unbraided and in a mess about his head. When asleep, he lost the kind of unapproachable air about him that he usually held. She studied his serene face and fancied touching the red mass of hair that framed it. It looked soft and silky, and not to mention quite vibrant in the darkness, as if it gave off it's own radiance.

Her hand inched closer to a lock of hair that had strayed closest to her. She was millimetres away before she noticed two bright golden eyes staring at her. There was a brief moment of dead silence as a vivid pink journeyed across Ryumiko's cheeks.

"What are you doing?" Retsu asked quietly. He observed as her hand twitched nervously and her eyes drifted towards the window.

"Well, I - er - you see..." Ryumiko gave a scowl as she couldn't find any excuse to justify what she was doing. "I was going to see if your hair was really as soft as it looks," she mumbled in embarrassment.

The dragon raised an eyebrow, to which Ryumiko assumed that Retsu viewed her like a child. She was surprised however, when the red dragon sat up and leaned his back on the side of her bed, tilting his head back ever so slightly with his eyes closed. _What is he- ? Is he letting me-? _Ryumiko wondered.

She tenatively reached out a hand and gently stroked the dragon spirit's head. She was surprised when she noticed that his hair was more smooth like scales rather than soft like fur. She jumped a little though when she saw golden eyes staring at her intently.

He was fascinated by the enormous curiosity she held for each little thing. He noticed it the first time Yukaoi had left her clothes to wear in the morning, when she had more interest in observing the dress than she did wearing it. Then he remembered the way she savoured the sunlight by the windowsill, before she was attacked of course. And now he had watched, curiously himself, as she ran her fingers through his long hair, carefully memorising the feel.

"Does it live up to your expectation, Miss Ryumiko?" Retsu asked, genuinely interested in the thought processes that lead to her curiousity in his hair.

Ryumiko blushed a little deeper. "It wasn't exactly _soft_... It kinda felt like scales... I guess," she answered. _What on earth am I saying?_ she thought inwardly.

Retsu gave a soft 'hmm' before Ryumiko felt a hand pat the top of her head. She was wide-eyed as she took in the dragon's pale arm that was stretched up to rest on top her head. When he brought his hand back down, he closed his eyes and gave a crooked smile to no-one in particular. "Yours however, _is_ as soft as it looks," he said quietly.

There was a short silence, before Ryumiko remembered a question she'd been meaning to ask. "Hey? Why _do_ you keep appearing out of nowhere to save me? You said a while ago that you were in the area for something."

Retsu thought about answering her question, it wasn't that big of a secret anyway. He remembered Yukaoi had told Haku not to tell the girl they were protecting her, but that was just Yukaoi being unneccessarily mysterious. He didn't know why his sister played around with people's heads but he couldn't be bothered explaining the entire Dragon Clan's activity to Ryumiko at this hour.

"Maybe Haku will tell you in the morning," he said, evading the question.

The girl sighed as she laid back on her bed again, "Oh how wonderfully cryptic..." she stated, sarcasm lacing her tone.

"May I ask you a question?" he requested, lying back down on his make-shift bed.

Ryumiko raised an eyebrow, "Sure, go ahead!"

"If you do turn out to be a noble, would you stay?" Retsu asked.

She gave a bitter laugh, "Depends on how Yubaba's feeling about opening the barrier..."

"If it stayed shut?"

"Then I'd have no choice _but _to stay."

"If it were opened?" Retsu questioned. He argued to himself that he was asking her intentions should she be found to be a Noble, to report back to the Dragon Leaders, but he couldn't dodge the fact that he was genuinely interested in the girl's actions.

Ryumiko was silent for a bit. "To be honest, I'm not sure I could manage ruling the entire race of dragon spirits. Plus I'm pretty sure there will be dragons who don't approve of having a non-flying, non-'reptillian' dragon as their sole leader. But we'll see when the time comes."

* * *

"Chihiro?" a voice called out to her, pulling her out of a day dream.

"Huh?"

She looked around before her eyes locked with Allen's eyes. Chihiro bit her bottom lip when she saw the expression on his face. She was painting No-Face in the courtyard, before her thoughts had wandered off to the Spirit World again. It would be only a couple days more until she would return there again. Allen sat next to her on the grass, facing her picture of No-Face.

"It's like you paint another world entirely," Allen breathed as he took in the painting.

_You have no idea..._ Chihiro thought to herself.

"Yeah, I made up a lot of stories when I was little and told them to my younger cousin... her parents were always on business trips so she stayed with us a lot," Chihiro half-lied.

"This is the cousin that ran away?" Allen asked, remembering that Chihiro had cancelled their date because of this.

Chihiro nodded silently. It remained silent for a few awkward moments before Allen spoke up, "So what is the story behind this guy?"

She gave half-smile before explaining No-Face to the boy. When she was done, he grinned at her, "That's what I liked about you, you have such a huge imagination! What about that one?"

Chihiro frowned, "I only painted No-Face."

Allen pointed to a thin white figure behind No-Face, "This one. Is it a dragon? It's got the same green eyes as the kid you painted last time."

Chihiro twitched, finally seeing the dragon Allen was talking about. Allen missed her expression however, as he changed the subject, not really looking at her.

"Listen. I thought about it... I like you and all, I mean you're beautiful and talented. I don't think you're as interested in this relationship as I am... I don't think it'll work out, sorry," he said, half-mumbling.

Chihiro was ready to explode in rage, they hadn't even had _one_ date because of her concern for her family and he was already giving up? So much for a normal life.

"That's okay! Thank you for telling me honestly," Chihiro replied with a false, sweet smile as Allen smiled back and said his good-bye to her. When he was gone, furious brown eyes settled on a painted dragon. _That's it! You've got lots of explaining to do! _she mentally growled at Haku.

Elsewhere, Haku felt a cold shiver down his spine.

* * *

**Yeah there wasn't much plot in this but hey! RETSU-NESS! Best figment of my imagination ever... And we see more of Chihiro! Poor Haku, he's gonna get slaughtered...**

**SO MANY REVIEWS! *bliss* I LOVE YOU GUYS! TT^TT**

**Many thank-yous to:**

FoxxyNeko _(Thank you for reviewing! :D)_

Moongirl12121/Zuma12121 [not sure if it was the both of you or not X)] (_I'm glad you like this story aswell! I have a problem of making dense characters don't I? :(_

Haku-lover24411 _(Thank you for the compliment and review! I hope the re-cap at the beginning helped with some of the confusion!)_

LadyCavalier (_I'm very glad you enjoy the story so far! Thank you for your reviews!)_

Mysticbreeze327 (_Thank you for reviewing and I'm glad you liked the chapter! Though I've got a few more twists yet to come :D)_

SeraphicUrbi _(Thank you for the review :D)_

Laugh. While. Crying _(Haha true, but Chihiro has yet to get to the Spirit World x3 Thank you for the review!)_

Mi-chan1991_ (Hehe, more twists coming your way :D Yeshh, the plot bunnies were on a rampage X3 Thank you for the review)_

InkWoven _(O.o you're right! So many commas! Thanks for pointing that out! Also thank you for the review! I'm glad you still like my story after so long :D)_

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	13. Chapter 13

Ryumiko's head was drowning in new information by the time Haku had finished explaining the Dragon Clan to her in the morning.

"Why is this so complicated?" she groaned, putting her hands to her forehead, trying to take in the entirety of what she was told.

Yukaoi, who had arrived early that morning and Retsu were in the kitchen, waiting for Haku to finish explaining the affairs of the Dragon clan to the girl.

Yukaoi was pouting ever so slightly, upset that Retsu had ruined her little spot of amusement by telling Kohaku that it was okay to tell Ryumiko everything about the dragon spirits. It was just more fun that way if there was more mystery. Though whether or not Ryumiko was a spirit could be a sufficient pot of mystery in itself.

Although, neither Retsu nor Yukaoi knew that Haku had decided to leave out the small detail about the two separate prophecies. Haku thought that the whole problem of supposedly being a spirit was already enough to worry about, it seemed slightly too much for Ryumiko to handle in his eyes. So as it were, Ryumiko had no idea that the Dragon clan was protecting her because they thought _she _was the one who was going to defeat Yubaba, instead, the blue eyed girl believed that they were protecting her because she was the _relative_ of their savior, Chihiro.

Ryumiko frowned, trying to sort out all the information in her head, "So we need to find Chihiro then huh?"

Haku nodded, both as confirmation of her statement and a dismissal. The two walked out of the bedroom and into the kitchen, met with gold and silver eyes that watched the girl's expression carefully to see what she felt about the ordeal.

Ryumiko had nearly as blank an expression as Haku did, with only a hint of confusion lingering in her gaze.

"So you two are kind of like my temporary guardians?" the blue eyed girl asked the dragon siblings, under pretense that they were there not because of her but because of Chihiro. The sibling spirits nodded their confirmation; under the pretense that she knew that she was the girl in their prophecy.

"And due to the fact Yubaba has your power; Haku is the strongest dragon spirit at the moment, assuming I'm not a Noble?"

They nodded again.

"Hmm. Then we should go make sure Haku isn't the only dragon spirit with power, at once!" Ryumiko declared, spinning to face the door in a ripple of teal green fabric. Yukaoi had chosen it specifically to match Haku's mane so that Ryumiko could camouflage as they travelled. The white haired lady noticed her brother's silent disappointment that the dress was not red.

Retsu blinked at the girl's readiness to find out if she was a spirit or not. And she'd even insinuated that she wanted to fight alongside Kohaku if necessary. He was sure that last night she'd seemed so unprepared to face such a life-changing discovery. He wondered if she was just covering up her indecisiveness with confidence or if she'd really come to terms with herself over night.

Ryumiko was definitely covering up. She was nervous as hell, but this was the only thing she could do to make sure Chihiro got here safely. If she wasn't a spirit, _great_! She could live on the way she always did and find Chihiro as soon as possible. If she did turn out to be the last of the long lost dragon species, then fine, she may not be able to leave the Spirit World, but she would probably have power to her advantage somewhere inside her and she would use that to help her fellow spirits as best as she could, then decide what to do for the rest of her living days...

"Alright, let's go," Haku mumbled, as the other two dragons stood to follow. Rin had been ordered to stay behind in case Chihiro returned. Ryumiko had told them it was highly likely for her cousin to arrive any day now; seeing as Ryumiko had been missing from home all this time, her Aunt would have probably told Chihiro by now that she was gone. Ryumiko also had a sinking feeling that Chihiro would know exactly where she was, opposed to being kidnapped or murdered as people in the Living world would assume. Although this was good in terms of the overall view of things, on the other hand, her cousin was sure to blast her ears off with scolding. She half-wished she _was_ an ancient dragon spirit so that she'd have an excuse for being unable to come home and thus avoid the wrath of Chihiro.

As the four left Rin's home, Haku turned to Ryumiko for last minute instruction, "The same rules apply as last night's, with one extra rule. Do not, under _any_ circumstances, try to ride me like a horse again!"

She smiled lightly and laughed, "Don't worry I won't. Not after what happened last time!"

And with that, they were soaring into the sky.

* * *

It didn't take long for Haku to develop a strong wish that he could be struck with a sudden loss of hearing. Ryumiko, for the first hour or so, was content with watching the scenery that went by, but she soon was growing tired of doing so, and had turned to talking like there was no tomorrow. It had gotten to the point that even Retsu was amazed that the girl hadn't lost her voice from exhaustion. It was only until they stopped for a short break that Haku was able to say anything about it.

"You forgot the fourth rule," Haku growled, massaging his aching forehead.

Ryumiko smiled, "Ah but the fourth rule is, 'You are to keep as silent as humanly possible unless warning me of potential danger coming towards us'!"

Haku rolled his eyes, "Exactly."

"You said 'humanly', I may not _be_ human remember?" she pointed out before munching on some of the food Rin packed for them.

Haku felt the need to murder someone.

Retsu smirked at the other dragon's defeat and sat next to Ryumiko with his own snack. They ate in silence for a bit before their conversation started up.

"Last night you said that only the dragon leaders were supposed to know about the Noble race, how come you and Yukaoi know then? You gave us a very obscure answer when I first asked," Ryumiko asked. "If I remember correctly, you said it was because you two were different _kinds_ of dragon, but what has that got to do with anything?"

"Our family comes from a long line of Noble supporters, so we've had those stories told to us for centuries as if the Nobles could be kept alive through words, if not in physical forms. Another reason is that-" Retsu paused a while, wondering how to articulate his next words, without revealing anything. "You remember what I said about dragons gaining power from certain things? That each dragon is 'tied' to a landmark?"

"Mmhmm, like Haku is tied to theKohakuRiver!"

"The things Yukaoi and I are 'tied' to, have memories, if that's what you'd call them. When we were born, we gained the memory of those things, and those things had been witness to the age of the two dragon races. Though the memories were hazy and unclear when we got them, it was easy to connect the dots," he explained. "Say for example, a house could stand for hundreds of years, with many different people living in it over time. If a house had memories, and you could take those memories out, you'd be able to see everything that lived or happened in that house. It's like that for the things Yukaoi and I are tied to. Does that make sense?"

"Sort of. How does a dragon become 'tied' to something?"

"Normally, when a dragon spirit is born, the thing it is tied to is created at the same time. So theKohakuRiverwould have been created, the day Kohaku was born. Ours was - again - a little different. The things we are connected to had other spirits tied to it before we were born. When those spirits died, we were born, and we inherited that thing."

Ryumiko sighed. She was asking questions with more answers than she could register in her mind. Before she confused herself some more, she stopped talking, knowing she'd want to ask more questions if she did.

"What kind of person is your cousin?" Retsu asked, deciding it was his turn to ask questions.

Ryumiko nearly giggled when she saw Haku sharply turn his head in their direction from the corner of her eye.

"We look almost exactly the same, except she has a light brown hair and these beautiful big brown eyes. She's also much taller than me, but I guess it's because I'm three and a half years younger than her. Chihiro's learning art at college right now."

"_College_. What is that?" the dragon asked, testing the strange word on his lips. His eyes stared questioningly at Ryumiko through the vivid red locks of hair that fell over his face.

"Uh... I guess you could call it a big school for people who want to learn more about a particular subject," she answered, not really knowing how to describe the concept of a college to a dragon.

Retsu gave a soft 'hnn' before he stood. Ryumiko tilted her head slightly as she watched the dragon. It was only now that she noticed the unusual way Retsu moved. At first glance, he looked smooth and had an air of grace and elegance, much like Yukaoi. But to her closer observations, she noticed that he was always slightly tense, as if he were expecting someone to jump out at them at any second; although, his robe-like clothes did well to hide this from her blue eyes. In fact, now that she was aware of it, everything about the red dragon had a subtle predatory edge to it; everything from the way he moved, the strong muscle that showed on his arms and his golden eyes that seemed to bewilder their prey. Ryumiko knew that it was obviously because he was a dragon; however, none of this scared her or made her wary of him at all.

She realised that those very sharp golden eyes had seen that she was staring at him. Before she could embarrass herself in coming up with an excuse for her behaviour, he offered her a hand to help her to her feet. He knew she was openly staring, but he didn't want to discourage that curiosity. In all truths, he was somewhat pleased that he was often the focus of that curiosity. Though he'd never admit it to anyone.

"We should keep going, we're not far," Yukaoi said, eyeing her brother as he helped up the young girl. Pale lashes closed slowly over silver irises as the dragon woman sighed. She'd need to have a word with Retsu, or things would get much too complicated.

As soon as Haku agreed, they all got ready to leave again.

* * *

The first thing Chihiro saw when she woke up, were sunlit bed sheets. She knew she had slept in, she didn't know how long though. Closing her eyes again, she took a deep breath. The will to get out of bed had left her the moment she had entered it. She hated this saddened and defeated behaviour of hers, but all of her hopes of living a normal life again had been dashed the moment Allen had broken things off with her before they began. She had spent so long trying to forget her adventures in the Spirit World, to turn the memories into fairytales. It hadn't worked for years.

Right there in college, was supposed to be her last chance before she gave up completely, to find a means of living in the world, get some human friends beyond relatives and more importantly, to let go of Haku. Or Kohaku she should call him. Wait, why should she even care how she should call the dragon that'd left her hanging for eight years? She beat her pillow in frustration. Now instead of moving on, the Spirit World had dragged her back in, taking Ryumiko as its hostage.

Though she couldn't really blame her cousin. When they were young, Chihiro had shown her little cousin the entrance to the Spirit World, thinking that it would be fun to tell her 'stories' in front of it. It was only when her cousin began to full-blown sprint through the tunnel that she realised what could've happened. What if Ryumiko got trapped there? Forgotten her name, turned into a pig...? Nobody there knew Ryumiko. Even when Chihiro had gone there, Haku had known who she was and helped her escape.

Ryumiko would have no such help.

This was why Chihiro was so worried now. Past concerns had resurfaced, and Chihiro had no idea whether or not her cousin was safe. She still had a few more days until she left for home and the Spirit World.

_Ryumiko, you better be alright when I get there..._

* * *

**We're getting there fellas! Sorry this took FOREVER, but holidays are over and now I can write! :)**

Why? It makes more sense to write more during the holidays, you say?

**Well you see, I can't really write without a reason, and my reason to write, is to procrastinate against schoolwork. And to stop me writing in my exercise books but same thing really :3 **

**OH! And do tell me if something doesn't make sense! I'm not sure if I'm good at explaining things so please tell me if nothing made any sort of logical or comprehensible sense to you!**

**SO MANY REVIEWS AGAIN! Biggest love heart ever.**

**Many thank-yous to:**

anime-otter _(Oh yes. There'll be LOTS of Ryumiko/Retsu moments later on, hehehe x3 Thank you for the review!)_

pepsipiggy _(Thank you for your review! :3)_

Moongirl12121 (_Agreed... Allen is a dweeb. xD Chuck Norris... It was a part of a TV series and he was made out to be ridiculously invincible, defeated a bear with his bare hands and the like. He's just all around epic. But dorky at the same time. Just like Allen. Thank you for reviewing!)_

simplyluckystar _(Hehe, I love you too for reviewing :3 Sorry for not updating earlier!)_

Haku-lover24411 _(Yay! I'm glad I didn't re-cap for nothing! :D Thank you for reviewing and laughing at Ryumiko's silliness!)_

Mysticbreeze327 (_Thank you for reviewing! Don't get upset with your story! Your writing is good! [I've read it but haven't had a chance to review yet :D] You just need to keep writing to build up experience! I've written so many terrible stories before this one, and even this one goes through much editing, but it's all about experience!)_

SeraphicUrbi _(Thank you for reviewing!)_

Laugh. While. Crying _(Yeah they're a little awkward about it, mostly 'cause neither one has fallen in love before [I haven't mentioned that about Retsu but shhh...] but they'll get there in the end! I'm delighted you like this chapter too, thank you!)_

Mi-chan1991_ (Thank you for your review!)_

lovethestory _(I'm positively happy you enjoy the story so far! Thank you!)_

InkWoven _(Good to see the summary was helpful for people! Haha! I've actually started writing the scene with Haku and Chihiro, [It's not the next chapter just to clarify :D] and I've had to cut out a LOT of violence... not because it was gory but because there was soo much of it xD Thank you for the review!)_

**AFTER ALL THIS TIME  
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& WHY YOU SHOULD REVIEW?**

It's because I'm worth it.

**Kidding! Kidding! But it does give me a warm fuzzy feeling :3**

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	14. Chapter 14

"Hey Haku? Can I ride on Retsu?" Ryumiko asked.

Haku raised his head a little to glare at the girl with one large green eye. A clear and direct rejection of her idea.

"Why not? I don't see any reason why it's such a problem!"

The muscle beneath her jolted a little as he appeared to huff, telling her that he thought that the reason why was obvious. Ryumiko pouted.

"Well it's not like _you're_ any fun! Can I? Even if just for a little bit?" she pleaded.

When Haku shook his head in response, she frowned, promptly plotting her manipulative plan to get her permission from the stuffy dragon.

Retsu and Yukaoi, who had been flying either side of Haku had been listening into the conversation. Retsu was watching the discourse with amusement, which didn't go unnoticed by his sister. Yukaoi guessed that Retsu had an interest in the girl. He was generally very silent and hardly warmed up to people, preferring to observe others from a distance.

Yukaoi was glad that Retsu was finally finding someone he took an interest in, but if Ryumiko really turned out to be a Noble, then it would be unlikely that the Dragon leaders would let them be together so easily. So here she was, caught between preventing her brother's possible heartbreak, or trying to find a way for them to escape the Dragon Clan. Yukaoi shook her head. No, neither had even said they were interested in each other romantically. She was getting ahead of herself...

The dragon siblings were both surprised when Ryumiko grabbed Haku's mane with such gusto and yelled, "Fine! If you want to be unreasonable, then so will I!"

Haku felt his body plummet, as Ryumiko forced him to nose dive towards the ground at an alarming rate. He let out a roar of warning to the girl, which was immediately ignored. The blue eyed girl grinned as they got uncomfortably close to the ground, before she pulled him back up, sending them flying straight up into the air again.

The white dragon spirit cursed the fact he could not change out of his dragon form while the girl was in control and settled for roaring his frustrations of which only Yukaoi and Retsu could understand.

Retsu was torn between continuing to watch the entertainment of a small girl tormenting the dragon by having complete control over him, and stopping Ryumiko's tyranny by letting her fly on his back. When she began to hurtle down to earth again in another sharp nosedive, Retsu decided it was in everyone's best interest to save the river spirit's dignity.

Ryumiko was stunned when she was suddenly ripped off Haku's back and flung into the air. Too shocked to react, she watched silently as Retsu hovered below her, waiting to catch her. With a sharp intake of breath, she grasped onto a white mane once it was in reach, and huffed when she hit his unforgiving red scales. They started flying as soon as Retsu felt her safely on his back.

Haku shook his head once free of Ryumiko, glad to regain control of himself.

'_You shouldn't let her get her way. She'll get more bratty that way,_' Haku growled to the red dragon.

Retsu smirked a little, '_I think I'd prefer to indulge her than listen to your fruitless squabbling and threats that she clearly can not understand.'_

Once Ryumiko had composed herself a little more, she whacked the top off Retsu's head, "Hey! Don't do that ever again!"

She felt his muscles vibrate and she knew he was laughing at her again.

* * *

The girl never ceased to bore him, and she never seemed to run out of topics to talk about. She talked about what she did in the Living World, what she and Chihiro got up to as children, what she saw from Retsu's back and she made up stories to tell him, a talent she learned from Chihiro.

Ryumiko had no problems with talking to the dragon one-sidedly. She knew that he was listening to her, and they had worked out how to communicate small things. For example, whenever Ryumiko talked about some technology Retsu had no knowledge of, he would look at her as if to tell her he didn't understand something.

Haku had listened to the parts involving Chihiro, while Yukaoi had listened to the whole conversation while keeping a look out for any danger that came their way.

They reached Zeniba's shortly, causing further excitement to stir inside Ryumiko. She smiled as she recognised things from Chihiro's stories. The swamp-land surrounding the path, the small cottage and the lamp that greeted them with a welcoming wave. The difference being that Chihiro had only seen this place in the evening, whereas Ryumiko was seeing this in broad daylight, and she saw that Zeniba's home looked a little like a farm. She could even see a few animals grazing in a distant paddock.

"Is that it?" she asked Haku excitedly.

The dragon nodded and they began their descent to the ground. Before Retsu even grazed the ground, Ryumiko jumped off and ran of in a flutter of teal, towards the cottage with the eagerness and energy of a small child. She stopped before she reached the front door, and took her time to marvel at the accuracy in which Chihiro had drawn this scene.

The front door of the cottage opened, much to her surprise, and revealed a figure that was familiar to her, one that had been painted many times and scared her a little when she was younger.

"Uh..."

"No-Face! It's you!" she cried, running up and hugging the shadowed spirit as if they had been old friends reuniting. Poor No-Face had no idea what was going on.

"Ryumiko, let go you're crushing him," Haku told her dryly before walking into the home.

Inside an old woman with an overly large head sat by a bright crackling fire, her kind brown eyes watched her visitor, "Back again Haku?"

* * *

**NOBODY PANIC! I have returned! It's been a long month I know, but due to some crappy circumstances involving writer's block, creative nagivation malfunctions and friends with much too complicated situations hindered my ability to write! But I made it!**

**Also I will do another re-cap in later chapters for anyone else who has problems following on. I know I write difficult to understand stuff so I apologise, but I'm trying to keep this story under a 50-chapter limit so I'm panicking ever so slightly in getting all my details right :)**

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

Masaki4everDead _(NYEH! I didn't update soon! Don't send No-Face D: Haha, I think it's heading along those lines between Ryumiko and Chihiro._)

Moongirl12121 (_I wish I could update all my other stories too! But back when I had all five going at once, all the stories semi-blended into one, and some I don't even remember what the ending was supposed to be. So I'm going to go one baby step at a time and go with two at a time. It's working much better than before :3 Poor annoying voice XD Thank you for reviewing!)_

Mysticbreeze327 (_Haha, I'm not quite sure how the interaction between Ryumiko and Chihiro will go yet... Undecided, unlike Haku... he's gonna be skinned alive._)

NuraWakana123 _(I'm glad you like the story and thank you for the reviews :3)_

Animala Swan _(Thank you for reviewing :D)_

LilyFragrance a.k.a. Fan-chan _(I'm happy you enjoy my story! Also glad that my OC is well-received :D Who wouldn't stare at Retsu? He's a mega-babe X3 Thank you for lovely review!)_

Laugh. While. Crying _(Yeah, don't worry about not understanding everything, I'm going to go over it slower in the next chapters with Zeniba but yeah. Thank you for reviewing!)_

InkWoven _(I'm sorry I'm so confusing! I'm cramming too much info, which I'm trying to avoid. So I made this chappie new-information-free! :3 Oh, be excited for the reunion of Haku and Chihiro. 'Twill be very interesting and hopefully amusing. And what can I say? Commas are my best buddies! Thank you very much for the compliments!)_

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	15. Chapter 15

Haku bowed his head slightly to the old sorceress in greetings. "I've brought her along this time."

Zeniba's eyes lit up in excitement, "Oh? Bring her in."

The dragon had frequently visited the sorceress with concerns about the possible dragon spirit within Ryumiko, during the time she stayed in the confines of Rin's home. Zeniba was positively brimming with curiousity about the girl and whether or not she was a spirit, seeing as such things rarely occured in the Spirit Realm.

Haku could've groaned at the sight he saw when he went to get Ryumiko. She was dancing around No-Face, like a child who had received some long awaited gift on their birthday. He cleared his throat to get her attention, and she froze, her excited expression quickly turning tense and wide-eyed. Whipping her head around to face Haku, panic welled up and clouded her thoughts. This was it.

When she didn't move from where she stood, Yukaoi, who was nearest to her, put a reassuring hand on her back. At the dragon's touch, she could feel her muscles loosen, and Ryumiko swallowed, as if to keep her fear restrained. She slowly took steps forward. Haku went to follow her into Zeniba's cottage but Ryumiko stopped him with a raised hand.

"Please, can I do this alone?" she asked, not looking at him. Haku took a step back, acknowledging her wishes and watched as she hastily shut the door behind her.

She took a deep breath, leaning against the door. Ryumiko sighed. She couldn't keep doing this, shutting people out. Chihiro had always told her that she shouldn't take everything on alone. When her parents were still alive, they always left her home, leaving Ryumiko to look after herself. It wasn't like she wanted to be so independant. It was just that independance was something she had to rely on her almost all of her childhood, and it was something that that was hard to get out of habit.

"You must be the girl Haku spoke of, cousin of Chihiro. You two indeed look astonishingly alike, but you both are very different," she heard a voice. She turned to see Zeniba smiling at her from a rocking chair across the room.

"Different how?"

Zeniba laughed gently, "Chihiro was very level-headed and determined when I met her. Already I can see you're always full of energy and have an imagination that sometimes gets the better of you. What can I do for you?"

Ryumiko smiled a little, "That's very close to the truth. I guess I'm looking for answers. Whether or not I'm a spirit. Can you tell me that?"

The old sorceress nodded and beckoned the girl closer. She hurriedly walked over, and stood before the older spirit.

"This is your last chance to turn around child. If you do not wish to know if you are born of spirit or man, you must say so right now," Zeniba said, looking up at her with a stern gaze. The girl swallowed a little before nodding. She may not be ready to hear it, but she knew she would forever regret it if she wasted this chance.

With her agreement, Zeniba stood and placed a hand on top of Ryumiko's head. She heard Zeniba mutter something and then all that filled her ears was a noise that sounded like a wind rushing around her, blocking all other sounds. The blue-eyed girl could feel something clinging to her skin. It was cool and hard, like a layer of steel skin. Then it suddenly stopped, the sounds, and the steel feeling over her skin, like it was never there to begin with.

Zeniba looked into her eyes curiously.

Ryumiko took in a shaky breath, preparing herself for the sorceress' answer.

"I delved into your deepest memories, and what I saw child, was this;

"Sixteen years ago, a couple, your human parents, were weeping the loss of their stillborn. Then a dragon spirit, came to your human mother, promising her the renewed life of their child. Your human mother beleived the dragon spirit to be a hallucination formed by her own grief, and agreed, thinking it to be a dream.

"On that same night, their newborn breathed life. But your mother could tell it was not _her_ child that lived in that body," Zeniba said, sitting back down in the rocking chair while Ryumiko slumped to the ground.

The sorceress continued, "It seems that with your human mother's agreement to surrender her dead child's body, the dragon spirit was able to place your own spirit into the empty baby's body. Though why the dragon spirit wished to place you in a human body, I do not know."

The girl looked up at the old woman's face, "But - How can I be a spirit? Wouldn't I have known if I wasn't human?"

"Indeed you were not originally born of human, but you were raised as one in a living body, so naturally, you are essentially a human in everything besides spirit."

Though these words were of little comfort to Ryumiko as she became even more persistent in proving that she was not a spirit.

"But I grew up normally! Doesn't a spirit _choose_ how fast they age? How could I have chosen how I aged as a baby?"

Zeniba sighed, "Being a spirit bound to a human body may have _made_ you age the same as humans."

Ryumiko was lost for other reasons to prove the sorceress wrong. In fact everything made sense. If her human mother could tell that her baby's soul wasn't in its proper body from the beginning, then it explained why her parents were always out of the house. They never really connected with her as parents and she had never connected with them as their daughter. It explained why she felt like a stranger living in a couple's home and why she had almost a near indifferent reaction to their deaths.

But it felt like someone had told her that her entire life up to this point had been a lie. A damn good one at that.

Zeniba's voice broke her line of thought, "Now that you know what you are child, what will you do with this knowledge?"

Ryumiko took one glance at Zeniba's brown eyes that made her think of Chihiro, before she turned and fled, bursting out of the cottage in a blur of teal green. Retsu went to go after her, but Yukaoi stopped him, saying she needed time by herself. Ryumiko ran around the back of the cottage and straight into the middle of a field before her legs gave way, and she fell to her knees in tears.

She crouched down in the long grasses like she used to as a child, and wept as her thoughts clouded her mind. Because she was a spirit in another human's body, she probably didn't even look like herself. By any chance, she could look completely different with purple eyes and green hair. Was her name even Ryumiko? Why was she left in the Living World in the first place? She cried not in sadness, but in frusrated confusion of who she was, wishing for Chihiro to appear, to tell her that it was alright, that she was still Ryumiko.

Haku looked through Zeniba's window out to where Ryumiko was in the field. With his dragon hearing, he could hear her sobs from even inside the cottage.

"She did not take the news well," Zeniba said with a sad sigh.

Haku turned his gaze onto the old woman. "Well I didn't expect her to rejoice either."

"Give her time Haku, she needs to come to terms with this on her own. In the meantime, you can help prepare dinner."

* * *

It was sunset when Yukaoi went to go check on Ryumiko. The girl had stopped crying, but she lay on the ground staring at the sky without expression on her features. Yukaoi crouched down near the girl's head, her white hair covering the girl's black locks, and the midnight coloured fabric of her dress pooled around her body like liquid.

A short silence passed before Yukaoi spoke in her bell-like voice, "Is it that you are against the idea of being a dragon spirit, or that you are against knowing something you didn't want to know?"

Ryumiko took a deep breath. "What I'm against is, only finding out about this now. When I should have been told this from the very beginning. Because maybe I wouldn't have felt so damn abandoned all the time!" she yelled sitting up. "Maybe I would have liked to have been told from my own parents, if that's what you can even call them, that I wasn't their child! It would've cleared a _lot_ between us! Also maybe my real parents could've have kept me a spirit! That would've been a _much_ better idea. If dragon spirits even have kids... but I wouldn't know would I? Because all I've known all my life has been nothing but the biggest bloody lie anyone has ever told!"

Yukaoi blinked, not expecting the outburst or being the target of the girl's anger.

Ryumiko stood when the dragon spirit said nothing in response and paced back and forth in a short line.

"What am I supposed to do now? I obviously can't go back to the world of the Living because of the barrier Yubaba set up, but I don't know a single thing about the Spirit World beyond what Chihiro has told me, let alone anything about _being_ a spirit. I can't have Haku take care of me forever!"

At this, the white haired woman stood and wrapped her arms around the smaller girl. She knew humans did this action of embracing to comfort or show affection, though spirits did not and especially not dragons. But it seemed appropriate in Yukaoi's eyes, to comfort the girl in a familiar way, though she was quite unsure of what she was doing.

To cover her uncertainty, Yukaoi spoke, "That's what Retsu and I are here for."

Ryumiko blinked, "I thought you were here for Chihiro? From the Dragon Clan to help us?"

Yukaoi moved back a little, her arms still around the newly discovered spirit in human form, but a gap now between them, "Who told you that?"

"H-Haku said that you were here to help fulfill the prophecy," she mumbled.

"Indeed we are here to search for a prophesised one but we and Kohaku are looking for two different people. Did Kohaku not tell you of the two separate prophecies?" she asked.

When Ryumiko shook her head, the white-haired dragoness hissed. She couldn't believe that he hadn't told her.

"We've been looking for you, not your cousin. And now that we know that you're technically one of us, we will take you into our family ourselves if you so wish," Yukaoi said, leaving out the small little detail that being a Noble could mean that she would automatically become the ruler of all dragon spirits.

Once the 'hug' became much too awkward for Yukaoi, she let go of Ryumiko and wiped away the girl's tears, "Now enough of these tears. All will be well in time. For now, just focus on what you want to do. I'd say, start by slaughtering Kohaku for me."

Ryumiko laughed a little and started to head back to the cottage. She felt significantly better, but still couldn't shake off the emptiness that was beginning to form inside her. Today, she'd lost a piece of her identity, and that was going to be difficult to fill in again. She was being cowardly, and she knew it, but at the same time she wanted to stay on the sidelines and do nothing about it. Unfortunately, life just wasn't that nice to her.

* * *

As Haku was stirring soup and Retsu forced to learn how to knit, Zeniba eyed the river-dragon spirit.

"There's another thing you should know Haku. When I searched her mind, I discovered something interesting," she said.

Haku gave her a sidelong glance to indicate he was listening.

"What you should know Haku, and you as well Retsu, is that Ryumiko is not a full blooded Noble spirit but only half."

* * *

**And another chapter complete... This one was really hard to write D:, mostly because I had to work out how Ryumiko would react, but this is what came up! So yeah, that's my awesome and totally interesting story!**

**100 Reviews! I LOVE YOU GUYS! ^-^**

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

anime-otter _(Ah yes, No-Face defeated by strange girl x3 It was fun writing that!_)

Moongirl12121 (_Haha, naughty scary voice XD Thank you for reviewing!)_

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Solar Powered Pandas _(No but she will come veeeeery soon! Thank you for reviewing!)_

Byuntae _(Thank you very much! I'm glad you like my story!)_

Laugh. While. Crying _(Don't worry, I didn't think of No-Face either when I started writing the last chapter, and then at the end I was like, 'Wait! Zeniba's not alooone!' and then frantically crammed No-Face in there! Thank you for reviewing! :3)_

InkWoven _(Haha, Thank you for reviewing all this time!)_

**Review.**

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	16. Chapter 16

Two pairs of eyes, green and gold, stared wide-eyed at Zeniba.

"Half?" Retsu asked, his brows deepening into a light frown.

"She is part Noble and part Reptillian, as you call it," she answered, fixing her large brown gaze on the red dragon.

Retsu's frown deepened and he put down the knitting needles. If Ryumiko was only half, what would happen now? Would she be accepted into the Dragon Clan? What would happen to her Noble status, and more importantly, were there still anti-Noble supporters amongst the Dragon Leaders? He stared blankly into the burning fire, gold meeting flames as he thought long and hard about various issues that could arise form this new information. He was so consumed by his thoughts that he hardly registered Yukaoi and Ryumiko entering the cottage.

Yukaoi noticed the darkened emotion lingering in her brother's gaze and gestured for the girl to take a seat a little aways from Retsu. She stood in front of him to get his attention. When his gold orbs met her silver, she realised something was wrong. She growled to him so softly it was inaudible to human ears, '_What happened in our absence?'_

Snapping out of his thoughts, his eyes caught sight of Ryumiko watching them curiously. He grumbled back in the language of the dragons, '_She is not human._'

'_I know that._'

'_She's not wholly Noble either... half-breed..._' he seethed. He despised the term half-breed, but half-dragons were looked upon with contempt in the Dragon Clan. Half-dragons, or half-breeds they were referred to as, never became part of the Clan.

Yukaoi's eyes widened, _'Half Noble and half human?_'

He shook his head, '_No. Half Noble, half Reptillian._'

Her eyes went wider. Seeing as there had been no sign of Nobles for centuries, there had been no half-breeds between the two species, and thus they did not know how to treat such a dragon spirit. They had no idea how the Dragon Leaders would react to this news.

Yuakoi rubbed her forehead in frustration and growled a low profanity.

'_Do we take her to the Clan then or not?'_ Retsu asked.

Yukaoi glanced behind her, and met Ryumiko's gaze. She took a shaky breath, _'We should wait and see just how strong our new friend really is._'

'_That is a wise decision,_' came Haku's low rumble from across the room.

* * *

**Okay people! I've hit a brickwall in the road my creative compass has led me to. So I'm going to continue these short chapters until I get an imaginary wrecking ball to destroy this mental blockage.**

**Anyways, this little snippet was kickstarted with Mysticbreeze327's help, many thanks for the idea.**

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

anime-otter _(Thank you for the compliment and review :3_)

WildCroconaw (In response to review on chapter one) _(Yes... Yes she will...Otherwise there would be no story...)_

Mysticbreeze327 _(I know it was a semi-joke but it was sooo helpful! Thank you for the inspiration to keep my creativity functioning!)_

Animala Swan _(She will be coming veeeery soon! Hang on! Thank you for the review!)_

Laugh. While. Crying _(Chapter delivered. Admittedly an abnormally short one but hopefully lots of short ones in short times. Haha, Thank you for reviewing! Xx)_

InkWoven _(I'm glad you thought it was a decent reaction! Thank you!)_

**Review.**

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	17. Chapter 17

Ryumiko watched the dragons with a slight frown marring her features. She could see their mouths moving ever so slightly but couldn't hear a single word. She knew they were talking about her, because all three dragons had thrown not-so-subtle glances in her direction.

All she could do was try to read their expressions. Retsu looked confused and agitated about something, Yukaoi was plainly annoyed and Haku was glaring at the siblings but Ryumiko figured that wasn't anything really out of the ordinary. When she got sick of their secret dragon talk, she walked over to Zeniba and sat on the ground beside the old sorceress in the rocking chair. The three dragons were so immersed in their discussion; none of them saw her move, let alone speak.

"What do you think will happen now?" she asked Zeniba.

The older woman closed her eyes and took a deep breath, as if she were smelling warm cooking food.

"What do you _think_ will happen?" she responded.

'_Thank you for the cryptic answer... Though I think I'll be getting a lot more of those in the near future_,' she thought miserably.

"At this point... no idea. You?" she asked.

Zeniba grinned as she stared through the window across the room. "I think you should take some time to get to know your new self. Learn about what powers and limits you now have, about what you enjoy about yourself and then what you want to do from there," she told the girl sitting beside her.

Ryumiko laughed bitterly, "Sounds like a plan but I don't even know _how _to get to know myself. As far as I can still see, I'm still very much in the human body of... well... me."

Without another word, Zeniba's hand went to Ryumiko's head. The wind noise around her head returned and the steely feeling on her skin also came back to her. When the wind stopped however, the steely feeling on her skin remained and she felt warmer.

In the reflection of Zeniba's fascinated eyes, Ryumiko could see a bright piercing pair of unfamiliar blue eyes looking back at her. It was only after she heard the gasps and growls of alarm around her, that she made the connection... Those were _her_ blue eyes gleaming back at her.\

* * *

Chihiro handed the plane ticket to the air hostess before making her way down the tunnel towards the plane itself. _'Four more hours. Four more hours.' _she repeated in her head. '_Four more hours 'til I see him._'

* * *

**Woot Woot! Yeah! Creativity back in swing! :)**

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

Animala Swan _(It's coming soon! Hang in there! :D_)

Mysticbreeze327 _(Thank you for reviewing!)_

spirited away forever _(I updated! Glad you like it thank you! Xx)_

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	18. Chapter 18

_Those were _her_ blue eyes gleaming back at her._

Her eyes had _never_ been that shade of blue. Maybe they had been a dull grey-blue before but now... now they were glistening like tiny ripples over the surface of two oceans. In her panic, she managed to locate a long mirror in the small cottage and raced towards it, ignoring the commotion around her. At first, she hardly recognised the girl reflected back at her.

She had eyes the colour of the ocean, framed by short, fine lashes. Her face was softer and most obvious of all, her hair that was once waist-length, had in a matter of seconds grown to a glossy sea of black waves that trailed along the floor . Her panic was somewhat lessened when she saw her face was still quite recognisable as her own, but the shock of the fact that this was her '_real _form' made her feel dizzy.

Suddenly the voices around her began to form into tangible words.

"What did you _do_ Zeniba?"

"That was not wise. She doesn't know anything about what she is or what strength she holds!"

"She wanted to get to know herself."

"What if she wanted to go out to visit Yubaba at the bath house? Would you provide her with a giant sign that reads '_I am related to Chihiro, the girl who has the potential to bring you to ruin!_' to stick on her back?"

At the mention of her cousin, she stiffened. Now that they were completely certain that she was not in fact human, she was not going to be able to go to the Living Realm if they needed Chihiro. All she could do here, is get stronger to protect her cousin... if she ever arrived that is. She took another glance at herself in the mirror again, and the girl who she saw didn't look unfamiliar all of a sudden. That was still her. If one looked long enough, she still looked quite the same. It was as if when she was in human form, there was a foggy screen covering her features. Now that screen had been lifted, everything about her had become more defined... in particular, her eyes.

"This was my decision," Ryumiko whispered before slapping a hand over her mouth. Her voice was foreign to her, ever so slightly similar but ultimately sounding unusual to her ears.

Everyone turned to the new voice in surprise. Ryumiko went to walk closer to her friends before she stepped on her own hair, tripping her forward. She cursed her clumsiness mid-air before two strong arms caught her around the middle and pulled her back up. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared into golden eyes, but quickly collected herself and thanked Retsu for catching her. Gathering and holding her hair up off the ground, she walked forward with what dignity she had manage to salvage.

Retsu watched the girl pass him with a light smile. At first, he had hardly recognised her in her new appearance, but sure enough, she was still her clumsy self inside. He resisted the urge to break out into a full grin when she made a bee-line straight towards the pot of soup, her insatiable hunger still in full function. She had managed to wrench the ladle out of Haku's grip and pick up a large bowl simultaneously before serving herself. She then sat down at the table, dropping her newly lengthened hair at her feet, and taking a big spoonful, ignoring the eyes staring at her.

When Yukaoi took an intake of breath, Ryumiko whipped around to face her with a glare, daring her to say a word about her behaviour. Yukaoi's mouth closed immediately and turned to Haku, "Could I also have a bowl?"

As the white haired dragoness was being served, Ryumiko spoke, " I can't go find Chihiro in the Living Realm anymore, so I need to strengthen myself, and all of you freaking out about my appearance isn't going to help anyone in the least. I need to move on, and I should start as soon as possible."

Yukaoi slowly sat down beside her, "We understand Ryumiko, but are you sure you're okay?"

"No. I'm not okay... _But_ no use dwelling on it too long, I'll just slow everyone down, including myself, when we could be doing more productive things."

At this, Zeniba smiled. The girl was strong, maybe as strong as Chihiro, but she still had a long way to go. Once everyone had finished their meal, the sorceress showed them to rooms they could stay in. Haku and Retsu, though reluctantly, agreed to stay in one room while the girls took another. Before she bid Yubaba a good night, Ryumiko asked the older woman if she could return to her human form.

"Of course child," Zeniba said, handing her a thin silver chain. When it was clear on Ryumiko's expression that she had no idea what it was, Zeniba explained, "This is a bracelet that should help you control when you change from human to spirit form. It will last for as long as you need it."

Ryumiko hugged Zeniba goodnight and hurried into the room, putting the bracelet on as she walked. With a sigh, she felt the steel feeling lift off her skin and felt her hair, glad to know it was no longer dragging along the floor.

She lay down on a mattress beside the one Yukaoi was seated on and almost instantaneously felt sleep creeping onto her.

"Yukaoi?" she mumbled sleepily.

"Mmm?"

"What happens now?"

"As you said, you strengthen yourself. When you're ready, you will meet the Dragon Clan," she replied in her soothing bell-like tone.

Ryumiko nodded before blackness filled her vision. Yukaoi looked down at the sleeping girl with pursed lips. '_And then we see what happens from there little one._'

* * *

Ryumiko emerged from her bed early, seeing Yukaoi asleep next to her. She wasn't sure if the dragoness was really asleep as her breaths were too quick, but she tiptoed out of the room anyway, taking with her the dress that had been packed for her, a royal blue sleeveless, one-shouldered floor-length dress, in the usual floaty material. She wondered briefly if Yukaoi packed these because that was all she had, or if she just enjoyed playing dress-ups on her like a life-sized doll.

Once she had changed, she snuck out of the cottage and into a surrounding field, knowing that Haku would most likely skin her alive for going outside without his or someone else's supervision. She took a deep breath of fresh air and spun around, watching the blue ripple around her. Whilst spinning, she was reminded of her old dance lessons.

When she was younger, Chihiro had encouraged her to find a hobby to keep her sane when her cousin wasn't around. Dance had been that reprieve from her empty home. As time went by though, she stopped the lessons, fooling herself into thinking she was able to handle the loneliness on her own. Months after she'd quit, she realised that she had really enjoyed dancing, but never got around to enrolling herself in lessons again.

She probably would have danced then and there in the field if music was to be heard. Instead she took to fiddling with the fine chain around her wrist. Now that she knew for sure that she was no longer human, which was a realisation that came back to her almost every minute, she wondered if she really could feel at ease with herself again.

'_No! Think positive things... po-si-tive..._' she reminded herself, closing her eyes as if it were an effort to do so.

Then she remembered the real reason she came outside. She took a deep breath and changed into her spirit form. Her skin once again grew warm and steely, and she could feel her hair rolling down her back as it lengthened. The change she noted, didn't feel half as unusual as it had at first, and wondered if she was already getting used to it in such short time.

When she took another deep breath, she staggered back, coughing and spluttering with very little elegance. All sorts of new and powerful scents hit her nose and the strange taste of fresh air laced with morning dew coated her tongue. The new scents and tastes overwhelmed her and she blinked back tears while struggling for air that didn't assault her senses. It felt like putting your nose millimeters directly above the surface of a massive vat of strong perfume and inhaling as much as possible in one go. Unable to get used to it, she quickly changed back, taking a large sigh of relief as everything lost their smell and things went back to normal. Wondering why on earth this didn't happen last night she wiped away the wetness from her dulled blue eyes.

Retsu lounged on the roof of the cottage, watching the girl with a faint smile on his lips. Regardless of what went on around them, her reactions still perplexed and amused him. He was considering suprising her, just to see what would happen, when he heard people moving around and talking to each other, underneath him. A flash of blue alerted him to the old sorceress who appeared at the gates of the farm.

"Ryumiko!" she called, grabbing the girl's attention.

Ryumiko turned bleary eyed towards the sound and smiled, wiping the last of the tears away from her eyes.

"Good morning Zeniba!" she called back, running up to meet the older woman.

The smile left Retsu's face when he noticed something was off. Though he couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was, it caused the hair on the back of his neck to rise, and he bristled like an agitated cat.

The old sorceress fixed her brown gaze on the black haired girl heading towards her and smiled, "Good morning to you too. Now tell me, where is that troublesome cousin of yours."

Golden eyes widened as he heard Zeniba's voice underneath him, _inside_ the cottage. If he could hear Zeniba below him, then who was speaking to...

Ryumiko raised a brow in confusion before the woman flicked her jewelled fingers at the girl. Ryumiko squeaked in shock as her arms and legs suddenly froze together as if bound my some invisible rope and becoming unbalanced, toppled over, landing on the harsh dirt path. She went to cry out for help but no sound came out of her mouth. She saw a blur of red and a flash of gold rushing towards her before all went black.

* * *

Chihiro took slow deep breaths as she treaded carefully through the darkness of the tunnel. She had often dreamed this before, always meeting a pair of green eyes at the end of the dark hole. But when she pinched her arm just to be sure for about the fourth time in two minutes, she was quite aware that this was no dream.

She reminded herself over and over that she was going to look for Ryumiko, nothing else. But a feeling creeping up on her neck, told her it wasn't going to be as easy as walking into the Spirit World, grabbing her cousin after giving her the scolding of a lifetime and walking back out following the white strings Ryumiko had tied to branches earlier to find their way home again.

She stepped out of the tunnel and squinted against the intense bright sun.

No. Nothing was ever so simple in such a place.

* * *

**SHE'S IN THE SPIRIT WORLD! NYYAAAHHH! So please excuse spelling errors! On the computer I'm using,the keyboard is dying and not typing properly and I'm lazy so sorry if there are missing letters from smething or rather. Also I'm on holidays now bt I'm going on camp for four days tomorrow so yeah. And although I know you lovely readers like long chapters, I'm still on a creative down so I will be returning to short chapters to get my creativity and motivation rolling. When the long chapters rturn, I will clearly have goten m inspiration back! Hope you enjoyed this long awaited chapter!**

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

Animala Swan _(Here's the longer chapter! :D Thank you!_)

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spirited away forever _(Haha! Thank you for reviewing!)_

'Kattis' _(I know, it's just when I make them long, they take too long to get out and by then, I'm losing ideas and I'm already in a bit of a creativity drought so until the drought passes, I think smaller chapters are best for me to work with. But thank you for your review and support! Really appreciated! :D)_

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InkWoven _(She finally makes her appearance in the Spirit World now! Thank you for your review! :3)_

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	19. Chapter 19

Golden eyes stared blankly at the spot where the black-haired girl had vanished. Restu growled, cursing Yubaba and himself. He could almost still see her mouth forming a silent cry for help and long black lashes closing over panicked blue eyes before she was whisked away to some unknown place. The triumphant, mocking glare of the witch was emblazoned in his mind and her thin, twisted smirk seemed to never disappear.

His anger and frustration overflowed and a great roar burst from his jaws as he stomped on the ground, as if he were demanding the earth to return Ryumiko to him.

Yukaoi, Haku and Zeniba all heard the enormous roar from inside the cottage coming from outside. Faster than the eye could follow, the two dragons rushed out the door, only to face a raging red dragon, clawing the ground and writhing angrily. Yukaoi raced over to her howling sibling, trying to work out what was wrong. When his tail swung out blindly at her, she changed to prevent herself from getting hurt in her brother's fury. As her dark scales covered her lengthening body, she ducked under yet another swing of the red dragon's tail and moved to face Retsu.

_'What troubles you so?' _she demanded, quite annoyed that he'd nearly hit her twice.

Furious golden eyes turned to her before changing to a painful expression of defeat and self-loathing. Yukaoi caught the scent surrounding him and hissed.

_'Where is she?'_ she growled, not recognising the other scent that mingled in the earth her brother was scattering with his claws.

'_Vile cursed witch!'_ he growled, to no-one in particular.

'_Yubaba?_'

'_I was sent to protect her not let her get kidnapped!_'

'_You've already protected her many times!_' Yukaoi said, trying to bring her brother back to his senses. She knew his pride was hurt badly as well as his attachment to the girl paining him, but his mindless fury was not acceptable behaviour for a dragon of his position.

_'Why did I not realise?_'

Yukaoi rolled her large silver eyes and then proceeded to headbutt Retsu's skull in frustration. He fell to the ground, bewildered for a moment before glaring up at his sister.

Yukaoi roared at him, '_Will you not listen to yourself? You are whining like some newborn hatchling without thinking rationally! Now will you collect yourself and tell me what happened coherently or shall I leave you here to finish your immature tantrum of self-pity?_'

Retsu avoided her gaze and shrunk back to his human form, his red hair creating a mask over his eyes. Yukaoi followed suit and changed out of her dragon form just in time to hear Retsu's whisper.

"The witch took her... while I was watching over her..."

The dragoness took a shaky breath. She'd already worked that out through Retsu's out of control mumblings, but it still didn't mean that she wasn't going to be affected by hearing it directly. Through a single glance at Haku, she knew he understood what had happened as well, and began discussing things with Zeniba. She was now left with two options. One. Inform the Dragon Clan of Ryumiko and her situation and request their assistance. Or Two. Go after the girl with only her brother and Haku alongside her. Both were viable options, each with good advantages and each with great downfalls.

But until they could make a decision, she had to return her brother to a normal state of mind and hope that wherever she was, Ryumiko was able to keep herself safe.

She turned back to her brother, who stood facing the ground. "Yes I know. And now, you can make up for it, by bringing her back and apologising."

She made it sound so simple.

* * *

Limbs ached in the places where the invisible ropes were binding her. A roaring fire heated her back and her face was pressed into a plush red carpet that smelt of an overly powerful fragrance. She could feel the arm that she had fallen on earlier beginning to bruise. She had blacked out for a few minutes and woken up in what she recognised as Yubaba's office... if that's what you could call it. Chihiro had painted it once. Her dulled blue eyes glared at the witch that was seated amongst a pile of jewels that appeared to have increased in number since Chihiro had painted the scene.

Cold brown eyes flicked at the girl lying in front of them.

"Don't look at me like that child. Blame Chihiro for this. Without her, I wouldn't need you. If you want to be freed, you must be willing to tell me exactly where she is, otherwise, the spells will not be released," Yubaba told her, a slight grin creeping up on the woman's features.

'_Like hell I will,_' Ryumiko sneered in her thoughts. '_It's not like I know all that much either anyway._'

Instead, she moved her glare from Yubaba to the various treasures littering the room. Gold, jewels, priceless looking objects, gold, expensive artefacts, contracts of various servants... more gold. But there was something else that caught her eyes for a fraction of a moment. Something that looked like a glowing tail that slipped past the gap between two curtains. Something pulled her towards the vision, persuading her to come closer. Ryumiko probably would have followed such a temptation if she weren't currently roped up by magic.

She thought she saw another glimpse of something moving behind the curtains, a small but piercing eye, glowing at her from the darkness. At the sight of this, her heart began to thrum... not just beat faster, but thrum like the way the engine of a car purrs to life. The thrumming heated her blood as it coursed through her limbs and she had a strong urge to run towards whatever was concealed by the curtains. But sensation was brief, leaving the girl to frown at the strange reactions of her body.

Yubaba suddenly noticed the object of the girl's attention and quickly hurried over to close the curtains properly. The witch glared at the girl suspiciously. A few questions had been bothering her since she had retrieved the girl from Haku's watch. With a loud exhale, she decided that if the girl, Ryumiko, was not going to discuss the whereabouts of Chihiro, then she would calm the rest of her queries.

Taking a seat she asked Ryumiko, "Why were _you_ with those dragons at my sister's home?"

Ryumiko pursed her lips as if she were refusing to speak, but then changed her mind, choosing to do what she did best: Change the topic and annoy.

"Why do you want to know the whereabouts of my cousin?"

Yubaba frowned down at her, "I'm asking you the questions, girl! Why were you with those dragons?"

"By the way, how old are you?"

"Are you, Chihiro and those overgrown lizards plotting against me?"

"How _do _you get this room looking so gaudy? I _must_ contact your decorator."

"Enough!" the sorceress yelled, clicking her long red nails against the desk in thought, before her mouth twisted into a malicious grin. "If you won't talk, then maybe dear Rin will be willing to speak _for _you."

* * *

She did _not_ bring the right shoes for the Spirit World. You'd think after _her_ kind of experience, she'd remember to bring some sturdy sneakers but noooOOoo, she _had_ to go and wear ballet flats. She had her purple hair tie Zeniba gave her around her wrist, just in case she needed it as well as a normal hair tie to tie up her unruly long hair. Somehow, Ryumiko had convinced her to grow it out. She leapt over the dry riverbed before letting yet another wave of nostalgia sweep over her mind.

Chihiro went to step up the stairs towards the abandoned theme park, when someone grabbed her and pulled her away from the staircase. Falling backwards, she landed on the long grasses with a thud, the sun glaring in her face. Then a familiar face blocked the light from her eyes.

"R-Rin?"

* * *

**Bwa hahaha! I left it there! So Retsu's part is a little confusing I'll admit, but it's mostly because he's confused himself. I mean, who wouldn't be confused when you've got yet to be discovered feelings of love for someone who you were ordered to protect but let get kidnapped by an evil psycho witch? And poor Ryumiko's being threatened and Chihiro is soooooo close to saving everyone from the wrath of the ever-irritating witch. ARGH! **

**AND GUESS WHAT PEOPLE! NEXT CHAPTER::**

HAKU AND CHIHIRO REUNITE! ! *dies*

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Mysticbreeze327 _(I'm glad you like the beard XD Yes hair that long would be frustrating but then again, I get the feeling that they don't have scissors in the Spirit World... Thank you for the review!)_

spirited away forever _(Haku will get the beating of a lifetime *laughs evilly* XD Thank-you!)_

Moongirl12121 _(Yah, I saw that damn Yubaba there instead of Zeniba, but was too lazy to correct it once it was published! Thank you so much for all your lovely reviews! :3)_

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	20. Chapter 20

_"R-Rin?"_

"Still a big dope I see..." the woman said, a smile gracing her features as she looked down at her old friend. Chihiro smiled back as Rin helped her back up to her feet. Once she was standing again, Chihiro flung her arms around the other woman. She looked and acted exactly the same as the day she left the Spirit World eight years ago. Though she was suprised to find her friend unchanged over the years, she was glad for the familiar face in the time of her emotional struggling.

"I've missed you," Chihiro said quietly, tightening her hold around Rin.

"I missed you too. It's been a while huh?" Rin said, hugging her back. Her brown eyes widened suddenly as she remembered something, "Oh! And you'll never guess who else is here!"

Pulling out of the embrace, Chihiro only needed one look on the spirit's face to know _exactly_ who else was in the Spirit World.

"Is it a girl with black hair, blue eyes, a bottomless stomach and constantly acts like a child?" Chihiro asked, anger at her younger cousin seething into her voice.

Rin smiled grimly, "Yeah."

Chihiro sighed, starting towards the stairs, "Where is she? My mother's worried sick about her, we need to go home soon."

"Wait! You can't go yet!" Rin cried, suprising the younger girl by blocking her path with an arm. Brown eyes frowned at the arm in front of them before moving to gaze at the spirit. Chihiro studied Rin's face for a little bit and began to feel a sickening sort of feeling in her gut.

"Rin, where's Yumi? Is she okay?" she asked, lowering her voice as her gut feeling told her she should do.

The older woman bit her bottom lip and took hold of the girl's arm. "Ryumiko's fine, she's with Haku and the others... I'll explain everything once we get back to my place," she said, missing the way Chihiro flinched at the mention of a certain dragon's name.

* * *

Haku let the wind cool his aching head as he led the other two dragons back to Rin's home. After many debates, they were returning to a location closer to Yubaba's bath house before they decided on what they were going to do next to save the kidnapped Ryumiko. Retsu barely spoke a word and remained nearly as emotionless and stoic as Haku, if not more so, while his sister was restless and perpetually muttering to herself. It left Haku wondering if he preferred Ryumiko's endless commentary over the dragon siblings who were acting strange.

More than anything, Haku wasn't sure what would happen to him if Chihiro ever found out that he'd let Yubaba get her wrinkled hands on her cousin. And from Ryumiko's many discussions about her life with Chihiro, he suspected that the two girls were more like sisters than cousins.

Another throb of pain ebbed at his temples as he imagined what could be happening to Ryumiko at that very moment. There seemed to be many possible things that could be happening at that moment where the girl was...

One. Ryumiko managed to talk Yubaba to death and escaped.

Two. She had been forced to sign a contract with Yubaba, getting her enslaved.

Three. Ryumiko's identity as the last of the Noble dragon spirits had been leaked, then number two occurs.

Four. And also the one he didn't want to think of, Ryumiko could be seriously injured or dead.

It had been eight long years since he'd seen Yubaba, and he didn't know what had changed in the witch in those years. If he was lucky, the witch had remained the same personality-wise. If not, then Yubaba could have gotten much crueller over time... And to what extent, he didn't know. The saying, "Keep your enemies closer than your friends" was beginning to show its value now...

When Rin's home came into view, he took a deep breath. Actually, right now, he feared Rin's reaction to the bad news more.

Then again, he didn't know that Rin had a visitor...

* * *

"I'm going to ask you for the last time. Where is Chihiro?" Yubaba screeched.

Ryumiko just smirked at the witch, clearly age was a touchy subject to mention. Her cheek stung from slap she'd received earlier from the sorceress, though she was sure it wouldn't have hurt half as much if Yubaba wasn't wearing those heavy rings on her fingers. She knew one of the jewelled rings had cut the side of her cheek as warm blood had begun to stain the carpet beneath her, but she was _not_ going to risk Chihiro's life just because she couldn't handle a single slap in the face.

"Do you want me to get Rin here to answer for you then?"

Ryumiko hissed through her teeth, "Of course not."

"Then answer me now!"

"I don't remember you being quite _this_ sadistic, Yubaba. Chihiro made you out to have a little more heart than that. I mean consider _my_ situation for a second. I've been kidnapped, I have invisible ropes bruising my wrists, ankles and ribs, I'm being interrogated while having my face pressed into this god-awful smelling rug and being subjected to physical abuse by the ugly rings on your wrinkly fingers. Do you really think I'm just going to open up to you and tell you all I know just like that?" Ryumiko said, sarcasm heavily laced in her tone as she fixed icy blue eyes on the witch.

Yubaba looked furious for a while, then her features seemed to relax, until she looked positively amused by something. The smile the sorceress sent at Ryumiko sent shivers down her spine and chilled her body.

"What do you know about heart, _child_? Such a silly thing gets in the way of things you need. I need power, and your cousin Chihiro, is in the way of that goal. You may call me disillusioned, but you will eventually see that I am right. When Haku was my servant, people respected me... but when a mere human bested me, and freed two of my servants, that changed. I had just collected the Dragon Clan's power when Haku left his service, and now I have no dragon in my control to use that power. Without power, you can achieve _nothing_. Now, I will ask you one last time. Where is Chihiro?"

Ryumiko could feel her lip curling back in a grimace as she heard Yubaba's miniature monologue. She sounded like the typical supervillains one saw on TV, power-craving maniacs with one too many sheep loose in the top paddock... Clearly nothing Ryumiko could say was going to persuade Yubaba of anything else. She sighed. Things were beginning to make sense now. Yubaba was furious because she had finally gained some great powers, but because she is not a dragon she couldn't use them. So she was going to have a dragon in her control to use that power, but Chihiro clearly ruined that plot... Though that wasn't really an excuse to start kidnapping people...

But if Yubaba needed a dragon spirit to use the Dragon Clan's power, then Ryumiko figured that she should avoid revealing her true self at all costs. Besides, she still didn't know _why _Yubaba needed power.

"Well?" prompted the witch, glaring at the girl who currently stared fixatedly on the carpet.

When she finally lifted her head, she addressed the sorceress, "I don't know where she is. And that is the truth. Don't you dare harm Rin because I'm not lying!"

"Then why are you, Haku and _those_ dragons conspiring with my sister?" Yubaba screeched.

Ryumiko rolled her eyes, "Isn't that obvious? We were planning a splendid surprise tea party to celebrate No-Face's birthday. Duh!"

Her grin didn't last long as the ropes suddenly tightened, cutting off circulation and her ability to breathe properly.

"Watch your words,_ human_. I won't hesitate to make them your last," Yubaba sneered, glowering at Ryumiko who was gasping for air on her carpet. "Maybe tomorrow you'll be more willing to speak civilly and honestly."

And with those words and a flick of a wrinkled wrist, Ryumiko found herself in a silent room darkened by thick curtains, unable to see anything other than a thin stripe of light where the fabric danced just above the floor. For a moment, she wondered if there was any chance of getting free from the dark prison.

* * *

Chihiro stared wide-eyed at nothing in particular as Rin finished her account of what Ryumiko had been up to in the Spirit World. She nervously fiddled with her hair as she wondered if her cousin had found out if she were human or not by now at Zeniba's. Apart from the incident with the strange bird spirit that had attacked, Chihiro was relieved to know that Ryumiko hadn't had her name stolen from her or worse. In fact, she was sure her cousin was having a grand old time, probably playing games with No-Face right about now.

"You okay?" Rin asked, handing Chihiro a cup of tea.

She nodded and sighed. Of course she knew that one day, Ryumiko would probably end up here, but it still set her on edge to think of the dangers her cousin could be getting into.

Her thoughts were broken by Rin, who cleared her throat loudly.

"So, what have you been up to since we last talked?" Rin asked, sitting down across from the girl.

And there it was. The question she'd been dreading would arise.

"Um - actually... I was _trying_ to forget everything that happened here. I'd had enough of waiting, and I was pretty much ready to move on, until my bird-brained cousin decided to run off. Don't get me wrong Rin, I still love you and all my other friends here, but after eight years, it was getting a bit ridiculous," Chihiro explained.

"I understand kiddo! I'm surprised you had faith that long. I would have given up after the first year," Rin comforted, laughing lightly, though failing to mention the curse that prevented them from leaving the Spirit World to see her anyway. Something told her that she should wait a bit longer until she divulged that little detail.

* * *

Haku, Retsu and Yukaoi landed on the grass with a loud thud. All three looked nervous as the full weight of returning without Ryumiko began to settle on them. So much, that Haku could only stare the front door, not really having the mental strength to just walk into the house as if nothing was wrong... as if he hadn't made a mistake.

Yukaoi saw the disheartened look on the dragon's face, that closely mirrored her brother's and went over to wrap her arms around the river dragon spirit. She rubbed up and down his back, much like the way her mother used to when she was a hatchling in need of comfort.

"It's not your fault. It's no-one's fault," Yukaoi said soothingly, saying the last part a bit louder so that Retsu would hear it as well.

Though they were interrupted by what would've been a soft feminine voice, were it not for the bitter, harsh tone that coated it, "So _that's_ how it is?"

All three dragons turned to see that the front door had opened, revealing two women standing at the door. One was Rin, the other...

"Chihiro..." breathed Haku. He could only stare blankly at her, unsure if he was feeling overly guilty about Ryumiko or if this was real and that Chihiro was finally standing in front of him. After eight years, she had filled out into modest but pleasant curves, grew taller and her voice had altered from the high lilt of childhood to a slightly deeper but silkier tone. And though these changes had occurred, her deep brown eyes remained the same, boring straight through him. Though her gentle face had taken on an angry and hurt expression as she glared at him.

Haku quickly stepped away from the dragoness and towards the only girl - or woman now - that he'd ever loved.

"You're really here," Haku said, his hand gently reaching out as if afraid his touch would break the illusion.

Chihiro was having an intense mental battle within herself at this point. She was already angry beyond compare that he hadn't come to find her for eight years. When she'd opened the door to find him in the arms of an incredibly attractive woman, she felt like sinking to the floor in despair that his affections were no longer hers. But when he fixed those green eyes on her, as if she were the only girl in this world, she had futiley tried to silence her fluttering heart. He had changed much as well over the years. His hair was much longer, his features more angular and masculine, and he was at least a head taller than her. On one hand, she wanted to take him out with a strong blow to the head, and on the other, she wanted to run into his arms and forget the eight years of waiting for him.

Her angry half won the argument.

She slapped the hand reached out to her and turned away, certain that if he looked at her with those eyes any longer, she would probably end up forgetting why she was mad in the first place.

"Of course I'm here, _idiot_," she snipped.

He stopped her by taking hold of her arm, and spun her around to face him, "It's really you..."

"Yes. It's me. I'm sorry for interrupting your... business," she said, no trace of apology evident in her voice at all.

He soon realised that she had seen Yukaoi and himself hugging, and her words finally sunk in, '_So _that's _how it is?' _

Haku frowned, "We're not like that."

"Oh really? Then what were you doing?"

"She was just... comforting me," Haku said, somewhat embarrassed by his statement. "Right Yukaoi?" he asked, only to find Yukaoi raising a perfectly arched brow at him as if to say, '_Don't involve me in this'_.

Chihiro snorted in disbelief, "Sure, she was 'comforting' you. Whatever, I don't want to hear it!"

"I'm telling the truth!" Haku retorted.

Retsu, Yukaoi and Rin all watched the exchange with great interest, never seeing Haku express so much emotion in such a short period of time. It was a form of entertainment that they may never witness again in their lifetime.

Chihiro waved his protests away with a dismissive hand, "Look just let me take Ryumiko home and we can both forget about this!"

"She's not-"

"Not what?" she asked, suspicious of the expression in his green eyes.

"Not here."

"WHAT?"

Haku explained, "Yubaba kidnapped her before any of us could stop it fr-"

_**WHAM!**_

He staggered back as Chihiro's fist collided with his face powerfully. He brought a hand to his aching jaw, wondering how in the world she learned to fight like that. Chihiro too, was also quite suprised that she had done such a thing, but she'd finally snapped now and she was more than simply angry now.

"I can not believe you let Yubaba take Yumi!" Chihiro shouted, her voice bordering on hysterical while clutching her stinging knuckles.

At this, Haku retaliated, "I did not _let_ Yubaba take her! She went off on her _own_ against the rules!"

"We all know you were busy with _other _things Haku," she sneered, flicking a glance in Yukaoi's direction to make a point.

"I told you we're not-"

"Why couldn't you just put me out of my misery instead of making me hope for eight years? Huh? Why let me wait while you had already moved on?" Chihiro shouted, cutting him off. Her eyes pierced his, demanding an explanation.

"I couldn't!"

"Well aren't you a gentleman?" she laughed, her voice loaded with bitterness.

Haku growled as he realised she didn't know the whole story, "No, Chihiro-"

"I've had enough of this," she mumbled and turned to storm back into the house. She was unable to do so however, when she felt two strong arms holding her where she stood. The hands that held her shoulders moved around her to wrap her in a tight and warm embrace. She found she was too stunned to say anything let alone move, and let herself . She knew exactly whose arms were holding her, she could never forget their touch. She took a deep breath to calm herself.

It had reminded him of the day she left, the way she turned away from him. It struck a pain in his chest that only she would be able to heal, only this time, he could stop her. So he did, by wrapping her tightly in his arms, so she wouldn't leave him again.

"Chihiro," he began softly, noticing that the girl stiffened in his hold. "I _couldn't_ see you. No matter how much I wanted to, and trust me, I did."

"Why couldn't you come?" she asked, her voice shaky as she held back the urge to argue with him some more.

"Yubaba. She locked the entrance to spirits. I can't leave the Spirit World," he explained, growling out his words.

The girl blinked and her mouth formed a silent 'o'. So, that meant that it wasn't Haku's fault she'd been waiting... Rin failed to mention _that _in their little talk. It also meant, much to her embarrassment, that she'd gotten mad at him for no reason.

She was about to apologise when they heard someone clear their throat, loudly.

"Okay! Break it up love-birds!" Rin called, splitting the two apart with her hands before walking between them and into the house again. "We can discuss things inside."

The dragon siblings followed Rin's lead and passed them as well. The human girl took a deep breath. She definitely would have more to talk about with Haku, but first, some time to calm herself would be ideal. Deciding that getting away from confrontation was best, she followed the other two inside. Haku waited until Chihiro was safely through the front door, before following after, making sure no-one had followed them as he closed the door.

* * *

**WOW that was a long chapter! It's my form of a semi-apology for the long wait, so sorry guys!**

**Haha I had a lot of fun writing that little scene with Chihiro and Haku! Though I've split the arguement between them into two parts. This is part 1 and next chapter will have part 2. Anyways, I hope you like it so far! **

**I _did_ have fantasies in which Chihiro attacked Haku with various objects... but as much fun as they were to write, I didn't think they really suited Chihiro's character, so I went with a (really) censored version of many different scenarios. **

**ANYWAY, point of my story, is that, there will be more angry Chihiro vs. Haku in the future where she gets much more violent than just a fist to the face. *grins evilly* **

**NEXT CHAPTER:**

_More Chihiro x Haku, as well as Chihiro meeting Retsu and Ryumiko!_

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

Animala Swan _(I updated! Thank you for reviewing!_)

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KeikoMars _(I'm glad that my story matches the movie's atmosphere! Woah! That'd be cool to have a name related to Haku's! Mine's a pretty old-fashioned name. I like it, but it's nothing all that unique. Anyway, Thank you for your review!)_

SakuandSyao-CLAMPGirlForever _(Thank you so much for reviewing! And sorry I left you on a cliffy for so long! :3)_

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**Review dammit!**

**I need feedback for inspiration of Chihiro's revenge Pt.2!**

_**AND**_

**I need to know what you think of this chapter! **

**I spent a lot of time thinking and planning, and coming up with a logical reaction for Chihiro to attack Haku with so I want a response darn you non-reviewers! ****Fear my writer's wrath! **

(People replied to in above segment are shielded from wrath)

**Button is here!**

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	21. Chapter 21

When all had been said, the five sitting around the small round dining table in Rin's home fell silent. Chihiro gulped down the last of her now cold tea and near slammed the cup back onto the table.

"So... Does _anyone_... have the faintest idea, on how we are going to get Ryumiko back?" she asked, her voice straining to remain calm. This was exactly what she'd feared would happen to her cousin. She'd waltz right into the Spirit World like her dreams come true and then poof! She'd be in the hands of Yubaba before she could even comprehend what was happening. Granted, her cousin had managed to stay relatively safe for much longer than she'd expected, and gained much more attention from the beings in the Spirit World that she was sure she liked, but nevertheless, she was in the hands of the witch as predicted.

"Well," came the bell-like voice of Yukaoi, "We have a few options. We could form a plan here and break into the bath house to rescue her, ourselves unnoticed. We can try to take out Yubaba, but I have a strong feeling we would have a very small chance of succeeding in such an outlandish plan. Otherwise, we can request help from the Dragon Clan to retrieve her."

At the mention of the last suggestion, Retsu's back suddenly straightened, losing the previous air of guilty defeat and replacing it with a sort of strong-willed seriousness.

"No," he stated, abruptly.

"Retsu, it is an option available and one we must consider if everything else does not work," Yukaoi snapped.

"You know as well as I do that if she is rescued safely with _their_ help, we will soon need to report on what we have discovered about her. When it comes to that, Ryumiko will not be given freedom to decide on her own future. They will use every means required to restore the name of the Dragon Nobles and she will become nothing but a doll, a mere figure-head puppet for their own gain. We will _not _ask their help," he argued, his voice eerily calm.

Though despite his seemingly frigid manner, Chihiro noted from the way the red-headed dragon had behaved, that he seemed to have an interest in Ryumiko. From the way she had been told, they had spent quite a bit of time together in her absence. Then again, whether it was a romantic interest or simply an interest in the dragon-spirit-disguised-as-human aspect of Ryumiko, she wasn't sure. Maybe a quick chat with the dragon was in order after other matters were settled.

After a short silence, Chihiro clapped her hands once and spoke, "Well then, retrieve her ourselves we shall! Let's get planning!"

* * *

Opening her eyelids only to be met with more darkness was not very encouraging for the tired Ryumiko. At least she finally had freedom to move her arms and legs, the invisible ropes finally gone, leaving tender bruises. Sitting up from where she had slept, she rubbed her sore wrists, surveying the damage. It hurt to move her feet and hands but she wasn't rendered incapable of using them. She lifted a hand to the cheek Yubaba had slapped, wincing when her fingers grazed over the dried blood of the long cut that ran jaggedly across her bruised cheek. She scowled when she finished her inspections, mentally cursing the witch while wishing she knew how to control her dragon spirit so she could return the pain tenfold.

She reached out her hands in the darkness, only to find her fingers hitting some kind of wall. _Not bound but still imprisoned,_ she thought to herself disappointedly. For some reason she hoped there was a chance of escaping now that her hands and feet had been freed; as if Yubaba would have been careless with her prisoners.

She gave a sigh of defeat, before a low flicker of light pulsed around her. She blinked, as the light pulsed again, allowing her to vaguely see her hands in front of her, and briefly, the ugly dark ring around each wrist. Ryumiko turned to find the source of the light. Her breath slowed momentarily as she saw what was behind her.

There was a dim light that surrounded a coiled form, roughly the size of a cat curled up on a couch. In the low light that occasionally pulsed brighter, she could make out the snake-like object that was covered in glowing and somewhat transparent scales. On a strange impulse, she caustiously reached out to feel the unusual luminescent pile of ghostly scales. Just as her fingers grazed the scales, it moved suddenly and the glowing thing uncoiled, unfurling out before Ryumiko. A pair of small, yet brightly shining, slitted eyes stared at her, freezing her where she sat.

She recognised those piercing eyes from earlier, when she was still being 'interrogated' by Yubaba. Her heart did not beat as erratically as before, but her heart rate still sped up at the sight of that gaze, and she felt a great desire to be moving about rather than trapped in the small confinement she'd been left in. Tearing her own blue eyes away from the ones that held them, she took a look at what exactly was looking at her. From what she could see, it was what appeared to be a small dragon, like a mini-Haku in dragon form.

Ryumiko watched with wide eyes as the glowing dragon slowly hovered at eye level, then slithered around her shoulders. It was _not _a ghost, Ryumiko discovered, as it rested its surprisingly heavy body on her shoulders, draping itself around her neck almost like a scarf. Its head however, did not hang limp as it snaked forward to face her.

"_What is your name, child in living skin?" _a voice asked her. It was a voice that was not loud, nor rough, but it shook her body with the power it held. It was a voice that demanded respect without needing to ask for it, and yet, felt oddly familiar to her, despite the fact she'd never heard the voice before. The words the voice used were strange to her, but she assumed that 'child in living skin' referred to her being a dragon-spirit in a human body.

When she hadn't replied, the voice spoke again, only this time, she saw the eyes of the dragon narrow at her.

_"Do not ignore me, girl,_" it said, a little irritated and dare say with a little hint of a growl. It suddenly dawned on the slightly slow Ryumiko that the dragon was the one speaking to her.

"I-I'm sorry, my name is Ryumiko," she said in hushed tones, hoping that Yubaba wasn't able to hear her. "Who are you?"

The dragon slithered off her shoulders to slide into a coiled heap on her lap looking up at her, "_I do not have a name_."

"Really?"

"_I do not posess a name. Nor do I have need of one,_" the dragon said in a matter-of-factly tone. "_You have the spirit of an ancient dragon in you child. I have not seen a descendant of my brother in centuries._"

Ryumiko blinked, what the little dragon said made sense but... "Your brother?"

"_Yes. Dragon kind was once split into two, my children, the reptiles with two forms, and my brother's, the dragons without a second form, the flightless dragons. Unfortunately, most of my brother's kind were wiped out by my own. I thought they had all disappeared from this world but-,_" the dragon paused to look over her. "-i_t seems a few may have survived."_

"Wait... Your 'children'? So you're like the ghost of the first ever dragon? Or Reptillian... whatever you call it," Ryumiko asked, leaning closer to the small dragon in excitement. After all, it wasn't everyday one spoke to the ghost of a spirit. Which was a thought that led her to the questions of how many Spirit realms were there?

Though she was not able to ponder that for long when the dragon replied to her question. _"I am not a ghost of a dragon, silly child. I am t__he source of all dragons' power and existence. I am no _single_ being,_" it boomed, obviously offended and spitting out the last sentence as if it were abhorrent to be a single identity.

Previous discussions with Retsu and Yukaoi came to mind as she registered its words, "You... You're the Dragon Clan's power?"

The dragon nodded, _"Indeed. I am its physical manifestation. You seem surprised to know this."_

"Of course I am! When someone says 'dragon power' I don't exactly think of talking glowing dragons!"

_"In any case, I wish to return to the rest of my children. Being separated from them makes me uneasy, and being stuck with that abhorrent witch is nearly more than I can bear. I want you to help me escape, little halfling._"

"Halfling?"

_"Half mine and half my sibling's. Daughter of my daughter and my brother's son. From what I feel from you, I believe your mother was Kinue, though I do not know about your sire," _it said, closing its eyes as if trying to remember something.

"I'm only half Noble?" Ryumiko asked, concerned about what this could mean.

The dragon nodded, _"It has happened before. Some halfings gain more of my brother's side than mine, which means they have no reptile form, but on occasion, halfings can have some of my reptile attributes. But do not fear child, such halfings are just as powerful as any other dragon, only different in that they are able to use both of our powers to different degrees."_

"Stop calling me 'child'. I'm fifteen, I'm not a child anymore!" Ryumiko whispered to the dragon harshly.

The dragon lifted its head and scoffed, _"By the standards of dragons, who may live beyond a thousand years, you are a fresh hatchling. Even by the standards of the Living, fifteen is _hardly_ an age of maturity. And judging by the way you argue so indignantly, I would say I am correct in saying so."_

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, "Sorry. Just a little... overwhelmed. Discovering I'm not actually human, getting kidnapped, and then meeting a rather impressive being after being interrogated all in the space of a few days is a tad too stressful... So how do you plan on-"

The blinding light of the curtains being pulled apart startled her. Upon being faced with Yubaba's astonished eyes at seeing her and the dragon talking made Ryumiko move instintively in front of the small dragon to hide it from the witch's gaze. Although what Ryumiko didn't expect, was for the dragon to disappear _indside _of her.

Both she and Yubaba stared wide-eyed as the last of the little glowing tail sunk beneath her skin and vanished from sight. Once it was gone, she turned stunned and horrified eyes at Yubaba. '_Great,' _she thought grimly. '_Now she knows _exactly _what I am... Good work genius,' _she thought, wishing the little dragon was there to hear her irritated sarcasm.

**_'I did what was necessary,'_ **came the voice of the dragon. She looked up at Yubaba, and realising that the witch could not hear the voice, she concluded that the dragon was now, much to her dismay, 'the little voice in her head'.

'_Sure... risking both of our enslavement to a psychotic sorceress is _necessary_,_' she argued mentally.

Yubaba however grinned maliciously at her, a smile that promised nothing of good intentions. Her mouth began to form a chant that had Ryumiko nearly quivering in fear of what spell she could be casting.

_**'Move!' **_it shouted at her.

'_What?'_

**'_Let me handle_ _it..._'** growled the dragon.

Ryumiko wasn't exactly sure how a dragon of such size and transparency could 'handle' a grotesque yet rather powerful witch, when she felt suddenly disconnected with the rest of her body. Her body moved without her control and as much as she tried, her limbs did not listen to her wishes. It was when she felt her body warm up and her skin feel steely that she realised that the little dragon had taken over the use of her body.

She could only watch on as her body transformed into its Spirit form and her faintly glowing hands reached out to smash through the barrier Yubaba had caged her in. She watched as her body, with deadly precision and speed, slipped past between the witch and the curtains, the dark blue dress she had been wearing since her kidnap whipping wildly like a torrent of water as she ran.

The dragon managed to get her out of the witch's study with a speed she didn't think was possible with _her _clumsiness, however they did not make it far, as one of the invisible ropes snaked around her ankle, taking her and the dragon by complete suprise. She heard the dragon hiss angrily before she was pulled, or more like dragged, back into the study, where she was faced with one awfully gleeful witch practically seethed with a happiness that made Ryumiko's skin crawl.

"I needed a dragon, bait to lure Chihiro and something disposable. Who would've thought that _you_ would be the one to solve all my problems?"

* * *

Chihiro was furious. The plan was _so_ not what she had in mind to retrieve her captured cousin.

"You're not going alone Haku!" she shouted at him.

He met her glare with calm green eyes, "Yes I am, and we've told you why. I'm stronger than Retsu and Yukaoi and you're exactly the reason why Yubaba took Ryumiko in the first place. We can't just let you walk straight into Yubaba's trap."

"I don't give a damn! I'm _going!_" she retorted, walking straight past him and towards the door. Haku sighed, this was exactly what Ryumiko did not too long ago.

Chihiro was stopped shortly though when Haku turned her to face him, finding that their faces were suddenly _very_ close.

"I will _not_ have you walk blindly into danger," he told her sternly.

Her mouth opened as if she were about to protest but he stopped her with a blunt, "No."

She bit her bottom lip in thought, and deciding that her cousin indeed had a better chance of rescue _without_ her there, she nodded.

"Fine, but I want the _both _of you to come back. Got it?" she said, poking him in the chest for emphasis before storming back into the kitchen. Without another word, Haku burst out the front door, on his way to retrieve Ryumiko.

Though in spite of her irritation with the dragon, she couldn't help but add her silent wish, 'Pleas_e be safe..._'

* * *

**Naww... You know you love him deep down Chihiro! And haha for the little dragon! XD I'll give him a name later. I didn't actually intend for that character to appear but he fit so well that I couldn't abandon him! Basically he was what I imagined dragons to be like, strong, wise but unecessarily proud and short tempered. **

**And apologies for the long wait as well as not following what the NEXT CHAPTER bit in the last chappie said I would give you... Yeah didn't mean for that to happen!**

**I'm kinda waiting for Ryumiko to get rescued _before_ I delve into all the ChihiroxHaku fluff... 'cause there's quite a bit of it :3**

**!ALSO!**

**I've got exams next week and this update was slow just because I was studying! So after this week... Updates might be faster.**

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

Animala Swan _(I think they make a cute couple too! :P Thank you for reviewing!_)

Seabreeze27 _(YEAH! Thank you for reviewing!)_

CatlinP1997 _(I've updated! Though you'll have to hang in there a little longer for the rest of the argument! Thank you for reviewing!)_

BloodyFantasy _(Yay! I'm glad you still enjoy my story and remember it after so long :D)_

Solar Powered Pandas _(Phew! I'm glad you think that the reactions worked! Hope you liked the update! Thank you for the reviews!)_

AnimeRockzzz _(Got the pen name right this time! XD Sorry! Must have been on autopilot... Also sorry again for the slow update ^-^" Yeah gotta work on that... Thank you for reviewing!)_

KeikoMars _(I probably wouldn't intentionally annoy Yubaba either :S Thank you for your review!)_

SakuandSyao-CLAMPGirlForever _(Thank you so much for reviewing! I'm glad you enjoyed the update! :3)_

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**Review dammit!**

**Because I need you to wish me luck for my exams! **

**I'm already procrastinating enough by making this long chapter...**

(Inner voice: Then shouldn't you stop relying on the wishes of [nearly] complete strangers and get your butt back to studying?)

(Tigeresssa: ... Quiet you.)

**Button is here!**

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	22. Chapter 22

Chihiro sighed for the umpteenth time that next morning. The plan so far was going well on their side, the four of them, Rin, Retsu, Yukaoi and herself were travelling to Zeniba's, while they waited for Haku to hopefully return with her troublesome cousin. He had been gone since the previous afternoon and still had not returned, leaving her worrying for both her cousin and now her first love. She sat on the back of the red dragon, wondering if she could engage in conversation with Retsu, since Yukaoi and Rin were flying pretty far away from them at the moment and she needed something to distract herself from worry.

"So..." she started. Retsu turned his head slightly so that she knew she had his attention. "It seems you and Yumi have spent quite some time together huh?"

He nodded his head slowly.

"I hope she wasn't too much trouble..." she mused quietly, to which she felt the dragon rumble beneath her. It took her a while to realise that he was laughing.

"She was? Sorry, she tends to get overexcited about things. You mentioned back at Rin's home that you were asked to protect her. I wanted to say thanks for that." And she _was_ genuinely grateful that there had been someone watching over her cousin in the time that she was in the Spirit world. Chihiro didn't know what would have happened if Ryumiko had been left to wander the Spirit world alone... actually she didn't _want _to know.

But to her surprise, Retsu snarled softly at her thanks. Chihiro frowned at the reaction.

"What? Can't I thank you for taking care of Ryumiko?" she asked, trying to work out what was wrong with him.

He gave his head one definite nod and kept growling, leaving her wondering why she couldn't thank him. Then realisation hit her.

"So just because you got caught off guard _once, _you think I shouldn't be grateful for any of the other times you were there to prevent my cousin from danger? Besides, from what I hear, _I'm_ the one to blame. Yubaba wants me, not Ryumiko. It's not your fault the hag wants to use Ryumiko as bait to get revenge on me, right?" Chihiro said, waiting intently for some sign from the dragon that her words got through to him.

Retsu stopped growling, but the grimace remained on his scaled face. Sure, he knew that it was the human on his back that Yubaba truly wanted, but he still felt that he should've been able to prevent such an attack. After all, he'd been trained as a soldier for the Dragon Clan for the most part of his already long life; stopping a witch from kidnapping the one he was ordered to keep safe, even with the majority of his power stolen by said witch, shouldn't have been a challenge... Though he didn't get far into his thoughts when he was hit softly over the head, an action that he remembered Ryumiko doing once when he had stopped her from further torturing Kohaku.

"No!" scolded Chihiro sharply. "It's _not _your fault! Plus, Ryumiko would kick me halfway across the world if I let you keep thinking that you've let her down or something. And if you won't listen to me then both of us are screwed."

The edges of Retsu's mouth turned upwards into a small smile. He could picture Ryumiko doing such a thing, worrying about them instead of herself. He sorely hoped Ryumiko stayed safe without anyone there to help her.

Chihiro on the other hand, sorely hoped that Ryumiko returned unharmed so that she could kick her cousin's ass herself.

They remained silent until they reached Zeniba's. Chihiro had a brief reunion with the kind sorceress and No-Face before she remembered the less cheerful factor of her missing cousin and the dragon who had rushed off to retrieve her. For half an hour, she sat silently outside, watching the skies for any sign of a white dragon before Retsu decided to join her.

"They won't be back yet," he stated simply, golden eyes studying the human next to him. She indeed looked strikingly similar to Ryumiko, but she herself was very different to the girl he was missing. Where Ryumiko was unswervingly curious, Chihiro chose to leave be or simply ignore. Ryumiko was both easily distracted and filled with determination, Chihiro was more focused, and even though she shared some of that unmitigated determination with her cousin, she was noticably easier to be persuaded of otherwise.

In response to the dragon's words, she sighed, "I suppose... I just wish I could see that she is okay."

Retsu followed her gaze, though he knew nothing of particular importance was to be seen, "Then our wishes are mutual."

Chihiro gave the dragon a quick side-long glance, taking in the expression on his face, "So it seems. About this 'Dragon Clan' business, why were you and Yukaoi sent to watch over Yumi? I mean if she was supposed to help your people defeat Yubaba, wouldn't they want to keep her with them to protect her?"

Retsu quirked the side of his mouth upward slightly. "The Dragon Clan were uncertain of allowing a mere human into the ongoing workings of their business, even if that human was their saviour... such is the cautious pride of dragons. They sent _me _to watch over Ryumiko as I was deemed the most-" he paused to think of the right word. " - qualified to take care of her, and I believe Yukaoi was sent to take over the diplomatic side of things, as her nature is a peaceful one."

Chihiro grinned at the hedged question, "What does it mean to be the 'most qualified'?"

Retsu frowned a little. Should he tell her, he would have to make sure the information was not divulged to Ryumiko. He was still waiting for her to guess what kind of power he held on her own, and if Chihiro told her, then the game would be lost. He turned to the human at his side and spoke, "If I tell you, will you promise to not tell Ryumiko?"

She raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

He gave a half-smile, "Because she is supposed to guess on her own."

To this, Chihiro returned the smile, "Ah. So you figured out she can't resist a challenge?" He nodded slowly. Chihiro in turn, gave her promise to keep the dragon's secret until Ryumiko was able to work it out on her own.

It was at this point, that Yukaoi learned that it was far too late to try and steer her brother's interests away from Ryumiko. She didn't know how he'd gotten attached so quickly, but Yukaoi knew that Retsu had already set his sights on the girl, even if he didn't know it himself yet. And yet there was still one fundamental problem with all of this, dragons chose partners for life.

Which meant that if Ryumiko returned affections towards her brother, they will potentially have to face the wrath of the Dragon Clan in order to stay together. Even so, that was only _if_ Ryumiko reciprocated Retsu's feelings, and Yukaoi did _not_ want to deal with a brother whining over a heartache caused by an ancient instinctual behaviour in the future. Yet again, the white hair dragoness was faced with two difficult decisions at once, only this time did she fling her hands up in the air in a kind of surrender and decide to stay out of her brother's business.

She knew she had played the role of protective older sister for quite some time, but now, Retsu was more than able to decide on things for himself... The need for her to relinquish control, was not easy for the dragoness to submit to but she obliged anyway, silently promising to watch over the two with everything that was within her power.

* * *

_'Shackles,' _Ryumiko thought dryly, glaring at the plainly visible, and annoyingly itchy metal bands around her wrists and ankles attached to chains that tied her to the ground and a chair that was more uncomfortable than she thought possible. '_What kind of witch needs _shackles_?'_

**_'I would not think it unusual for one to keep a sturdier set of holds incase a stronger foe requires capturing, child. Though I do admit that these are particularly-'_ **the dragon paused, trying to think of a word to describe his distaste for the bindings. **'-odious.'**

_'Huh?' _she asked, not having heard the word before.

_**'Hateful,' **_the dragon rephrased, clearing her confusion. There was a slight pause in their conversation as she futiley attempted to pull the shackles off her arms with her human strength. Yubaba enchanted the shackles to prevent her from changing into her spirit form, leaving her for the most part defenseless, with only a dragon co-inhabiting her body for company. Though the thin metal chain that Zeniba had given her was unable to be stolen by Yubaba, it proved ineffective against the thicker metal bands.

_'Can I give you a name?_' she asked, giving up on the metal covering her right wrist for about the fifth time and hoping for another topic to distract her from her mitigating circumstances. _'I can't just keep calling you, '_you'_, or 'The reptillian power'.'_

The dragon seemed to hum in thought, before inquiring, **_'And what name would you deem fit to call me by?'_**

It was then the girl's turn to think, _'What about Akinobu?'_

The dragon was silent for quite some time, and Ryumiko thought he disapproved, until he mused, _**'Hmm. Not displeasing... better than **_**other _names my children have deemed to call me by...'_**

The seething tone with which the dragon mentioned the 'other names', had her wondering what amusing names had been conjured up over the centuries.

_'What other names?' _she inquired politely.

The dragon seemed to growl a little in irritation, the memories appearing to resurface old wounds to his pride. **_'Some of the worst ones were, 'Sir Giggles' and 'Mr. Slithers'.' _**A tiny smile broke through Ryumiko's attempt to keep a straightface.

_'They could have been worse you know. They could have named you 'Princess Sparkles', or something _really _effeminate,' _she told him, to which he huffed as if to tell her they were just as bad.

_**'You may call me Akinobu,'**_ the dragon declared.

_'Can I give you a nickname? Akinobu's a pretty lengthy name,'_ Ryumiko asked, though the answer was given no thought.

'_**No. No nicknames,'**_Akinobu growled. _**'Nicknames are the reason I ended up with 'Mr. Slithers'.' **_

Her brief but amusing reprieve from her desolate situation was broken when Yubaba strode into the room, a feral grin coating the wrinkles of skin on her face. The witch seemed to study her with glistening brown eyes, searching her for something. It was when she took a piece of paper that looked suspiciously like a contract, that Ryumiko rolled her eyes.

"I'm not going to sign that," she told the witch as if that was obvious.

Brown eyes glinted. "I know that you won't sign a contract. That is why I've made a _special _one, just for you," Yubaba said, seething with twisted excitement at the mention of a unique contract just for Ryumiko.

As the witch showed her the contract, she blanched in horror. The contract didn't need her to sign anything, it just needed anything that was a part of her. Something like -

"Blood or even your spit would suffice, as long as it's fresh. And once the contract is complete your body, along with that power that is hiding in you, will belong solely to me, for the rest of your days... unless I decide otherwise of course," Yubaba said, the edges of her mouth practically reaching from ear to ear as she began stalking towards her.

Seeing the small blade the witch held in her other hand caused Ryumiko to panic, frantically trying to get as far away from her enemy as much as possible. The chains did not allow her to get far, the furthest she could get being pressed up against the back of the chair she was imprisoned against. As the shining silver of the knife drew closer, she tried to stand and run with the chair chained to her, but the chair too, was chained to the ground, and she only gained a few meagre centimeters of distance. Now even Akinobu was anxious to help her get away from the witch, battling against the enchanted shackles in an attempt to change her out of human form.

_'Run! Get out of me!' _she tried to tell the little dragon, hoping that he could get away from being forcibly enslaved along with her.

_**'I can not. These shackles prevent me from releasing the slightest ounce of power,'** _Akinobu stated defeatedly.

Hearing the sorrowful tone in the dragon's voice, she stopped trying to free herself. It was as if suddenly all hope had been stripped from her. She could not escape, even with almost all the power of the Dragon Clan. She could not talk Yubaba out of it, she would not listen. Even if the others came to rescue her, it would be too late. The blade in the witch's red painted talons inched forward to her throat at a pace so slowly that she believed Yubaba was purposefully sadistic.

When the cool edge of the blade rested at the base of her neck, she drew a deep breath to ready herself. Readying herself for becoming a slave for the enemy, possibly for thousands of years, an endless cycle of emotional and most likely physical released her breath shakily and closed her eyes, right before a loud crash resounded and the ceiling caved in.

She heard Yubaba shriek angrily and felt the cold metal disappear without piercing her skin along with bits of ceiling in various sizes pelting her body before she opened her eyes. To her surprise, all she could see in front of her was white. As her mind calmed down slightly, she was able to recognise the teal fur covering the marble-like scales and the low threatening growl that he emitted towards Yubaba. To her enormous relief, help had come just in time, in the form of one very incensed Haku.

There was an indignant cry from the witch followed by a strange noise, before Haku uncoiled from his protective circle around her and slammed his tail into Yubaba. As the witch flew backwards from the force of the blow, Ryumiko noticed bits of shredded paper flying in the wind created in the rush. She gave a gentle smile as she realised that Haku had torn up the contract.

She didn't have long to think about this, as Haku in the meantime made short work of the shackles by clawing the chains off the chair and out of the ground before grabbing her, flying back out of the hole he had created upon entry into the blinding sunlight. She still had the metal around her wrists and ankles, some with thick chains still attached, but she was free.

When they were at a safe distance from the bath house, Haku set her down on a small field, before changing back into human form. He didn't utter a sound as he ripped the shackles off her limbs and checked her wounds. He started by checking the obvious damage done to her wrists and ankles, though his mouth tugged upwards into a snarl as he inspected her bruised cheek and the jagged cut across it.

Ryumiko sighed impatiently as the silence continued, "Can we just go home, please?"

Haku seemed to give her a slight frown before responding, "Clearly you haven't looked in a mirror recently."

She raised an eyebrow, "Why?"

He debated about telling her now, but then chose to let her see for herself, "You'll see when we get back to Zeniba's."

And without another word, he changed into a dragon, and lowered his body to the ground so she could climb on. As she reached a leg over his shoulders, she felt a dull pain spread from her foot to her waist, and lingered there even as she sat on Haku's back. When she leaned forward to grasp his mane, her fingers felt numb and useless, though she managed to get a good hold. Haku took off into the air, and her entire body began to feel heavy and sore.

Her eyelids especially seemed to have a mind of their own as they shielded the rest of the world from her eyes, causing her mind to become foggy with exhaustion. Before she let herself be swept away by dreams, she heard Akinobu whisper to her, _**'Sleep well child**_**.'**

And letting herself drift off, she fell into a sleep that she knew would not end until a desperate need for hunger roused her. Haku noticed as she slumped against his back slowly and her breathing slowed into that of one who slept soundly. He too slowed down slightly, so as to not wake her up by moving her around too much. Chihiro was not going to be happy with her cousin's current state, but at least he had made it in time before anything worse had happened.

He could only wait now. For Ryumiko to heal. For Yubaba to take up her revenge... For Chihiro to forgive him.

* * *

Chihiro and Retsu had remained seated in front of the cottage for a good portion of the day, waiting for some sign that things were alright for Ryumiko and Haku. It was well past midday when brown eyes caught sight of a familiar white line in the sky writhing towards them. Never letting her gaze move from Haku, she gently tapped Retsu's arm with the back of her hand to gain his attention. As soon as golden eyes settled on the same thing as what Chihiro had seen, he immediately rose to his feet though remained on the ground. When Haku got closer, Chihiro was able to make out the image of a body on his back, and anxiety built up when she could not see her cousin moving. Retsu noticed it too and dread filled his thoughts. As soon as Haku had landed a few feet away from the cottage, the two appeared almost instantly at his side.

From the sudden jolt off the dragon's landing, Ryumiko's sleepy grip on his mane loosened, her body sliding off Haku's scaled back and into the arms of Retsu. The golden eyed dragon wasted no time as he leaned his head closer to the girl's limp body, checking for signs of life. Hearing the steady beating of her heart and the slow even whispers of her breathing, he relaxed, letting go of a breath he didn't know he was holding.

Chihiro, seeing the other dragon's relief, felt calmed herself. Though she wouldn't have said that her cousin looked perfectly fine, she was overjoyed that Ryumiko was safely returned and very much alive. She watched as Haku changed back into his human form and asked Retsu to carry Ryumiko inside. Once they were left outside, she sank to the ground.

"She's alive," she whispered, almost disbelievingly. Although she had been sure her cousin was okay, something in the back of her mind told her that things may not be as positive as she had hoped. She was slightly startled when a hand rested on her shoulder, but brown eyes looked up to meet green and she calmed. Chihiro bit her bottom lip before she spoke.

"Thank you Haku, for bringing her back," she said.

Haku held her gaze as he helped her back to her feet, "You do not need to thank me, I brought her back out of my own volition."

Chihiro scoffed lightly in annoyance as she turned heel and strode back towards the cottage, muttering, "What is it with dragons and receiving thanks?"

* * *

Yukaoi watched as her brother laid a sleeping Ryumiko onto a mattress laid out in their room, with more gentleness than she'd ever seen him show in his lifetime. She could see the mixed expressions cross his face as he cradled her head tenderly before slowly lowering her down onto a pillow. Relief that she was back, concern for her injuries, anger at Yubaba for inflicting them after taking her away, guilt for not being able to stop the witch, and the most prominent of all, whether Retsu realised it or not, was the great care he handled her with, as if she would break or disappear from him again if he wasn't careful, probably from his ever growing interest in her.

Retsu scowled fiercely at the marks on her wrists, mottled dark rings surrounded by angry red flesh and long red lines where it was clear that she had tried to claw off what ever was binding her, stood out against her pale skin. Similar wounds were around her ankles as well, the only difference being the occasional graze dotting her leg. Though when his golden eyes travelled back up to her face, his lips curled into a snarl as he glared at the blue and black welt coating a jagged cut on one side of her cheek, caked with dried blood. Without thinking, he lightly traced the line across her face as if the feather like touch could erase its existence. Suddenly his hand was pulled away from her face by Rin.

"Alright you big reptile, unless you're gonna help me bandage her up you can go help Zeniba knit or something," she ordered him, letting go of his arm. He took note of the bowl of steaming water in her other arm and the towels floating in the water. When he didn't leave, Rin moved past him and knelt down by the side of the bed, handing the dragon a warm wet towel.

"Here, use this to clean the bruises. The skin is irritated and starting to look like a rash, so you want to wash off the dirt or anything that might be making it worse," she ordered as she herself started on cleaning the blood from the girl's cheek.

Rin smiled as she saw the dragon hesitate before sitting down and started dabbing away at Ryumiko's wrist like a small boy taking care of a wounded bird. Though judging by the paleness of her skin and the exhausted sleep she seemed to be in, Rin figured _this_ bird wouldn't wake for quite some time.

* * *

**AH! Finally finished this chapter! I'm so so so sorry this took a month for me to complete and publish! I really don't have any other excuse other than I just didn't write for a long time! But exams are over, I did pretty well if I do say so myself and holidays are here! So with any luck updates will be faster but reflecting on all my previous promises, I can't guarantee anything :S**

**Anyway, she's finally outta there! Oh! And if you're interested, this chapter was inspired by the following song. It's absolutely gorgeous although if it's not your kind of thing that's fine but I love it to bits. You can listen to it on Youtube dot com, with this on the end : /watch? v=gBL3 3HGu 2cU**

**(Remember to delete the spaces!)**

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

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**l  
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	23. Chapter 23

Chihiro sat outside of her cousin's room, thinking quietly to herself. Retsu was already firmly planted at Ryumiko's bedside, vigilantly keeping watch, so she figured there was no real reason for her to be hanging around in the room doing nothing. Although now that she thought about it, she was _still_ doing nothing, only this time she was in the hallway sitting with her back against the wall like some kind of guard dog. She contemplated the chaos that had been created up to this point.

Once Rin and Retsu had cleaned her cousin's wounds, Yukaoi dragged her brother out of the room so that she and Rin could change Ryumiko's clothes. After that, Retsu and Yukaoi fought about something to do with one of them going back to the Dragon Clan; in which, if she heard them arguing correctly, Yukaoi wanted him to go get something and Retsu _really_ did not want to leave Ryumiko. Clearly, Retsu had emerged victorious as evident by his prescence in Ryumiko's room and the absence of one white-haired dragoness. As soon as that debacle ended, Rin and Haku struck up trouble of their own with their ceaseless bantering in the kitchen. Chihiro could still hear low mumbles from the floor below that hinted at their continued war of well-worded sarcasm.

She sighed exasperatedly, before beginning to worry about the world of the living. She was only supposed to come here to retrieve her wandering cousin before immediately returning home, to end her mother's frantic search. Now she had been in the Spirit Realm two days longer than originally planned and she bit her bottom lip thinking about how her mother must be feeling about this matter. Heck, she'd probably already called her father who was supposed to be on a three month business trip in Europe in her panic.

Though as much as she wanted to just take her cousin home and pretend that Ryumiko had been kidnapped to explain her cuts and bruises, now not only did she have a witch hunting the both of them down, but her cousin, the very person she had come to get, was unable to come home with her... not unless they defeated Yubaba first. She closed her eyes and thought about her rather grim decisions.

Either way she chose, she'd end up abandoning people she loved. If she stayed to free Ryumiko and the others, she would be letting her mother and father believe that both their daughter and niece (who was pretty much another daughter anyways) had disappeared, been kidnapped or worse. And who knew how long _that _would take? If she went back home to reassure her parents that she was okay, she'd be abandoning her cousin, Haku and the others to either a life of enslavement under Yubaba or an existence restricted to the boundaries of the Spirit World, as they had said they could not defeat Yubaba without her help.

To live a normal life at the price of her friend's freedom, or to let her parents think they'd never see her or Ryumiko again...

"Chihiro?" came a soft voice, much closer to her ear than she deemed comfortable and taking her by suprise by sneaking up on her without her realising.

She jumped a little from the shock of being caught off guard and turned to face the speaker who had appeared beside her. Her startled brown eyes locked with forest green and she took a sharp intake of breath as she was suddenly acutely aware of how close those eyes were. Leaning back a little to put some distance between Haku and herself, she wondered if the incessant fluttering of her heart was caused by Haku surprising her or Haku himself.

Deciding to let the question be left unanswered, she softly mumbled, "What do you want, Haku?" Though it came out a little colder than she intended.

She noticed him wince a little from the icy tone of her voice but sat beside her nonetheless, quickly masking his hurt with an expression of indifference."How is Ryumiko?" he started.

"Fine. She's still sleeping though. According to Rin her injuries look worse than they really are," she summarised, trying to cut off the conversation. She _did _want to resolve the problems between them, she really did, but she didn't know how to begin; her thoughts were already consumed by the choice of staying or leaving.

As if he had read her mind, he asked, "Ryumiko can't leave unless Yubaba either lifts the barrier of her own free will or dies, and at the current moment, I think the latter seems to be the most likely to occur. Will you return to the Living?"

She pursed her lips in frustration and replied, surprising even herself with her lack of reluctance to discuss her problems with him, "I don't know. If I leave, I would relieve my parents of worry, but be condemning Ryumiko and nearly the entire Spirit World, which I may never see again, to Yubaba's wrath. I would help more people if I stayed to defeat Yubaba, but I don't know how long that would take, or if I'll even make it out of here alive. I know it's selfish to effectively sacrifice hundreds of spirits just so I can be with my parents, but I can't stop worrying about them and thinking about my odds of even seeing them again. I'll probably end up staying, but I just wish I could tell them that Ryumiko and I are okay..."

Her words drifted off as she pictured her parents at home, waiting to hear news of their safety and return. It twisted at her heart but at the same time, the thought of leaving Ryumiko, Haku, Rin, and all her friends in the Spirit World twisted just as much.

"You won't die," Haku stated promptly.

Chihiro turned to face him and corrected him, "I _could_."

Haku returned her gaze and spoke with absolute certainty, "But you won't."

She frowned at him, "How can you know that? Yubaba's got a lot of incentive to try and kill me."

He leaned in a little, his eyes boring into hers and his voice low, "I won't let her touch you."

It was spoken with such intensity that she was sure her heart did a little flip flop in her chest. Her mind was cheering happily in silence that Haku was being so protective but the little voice in her head reminded her of something that stopped Chihiro from getting ahead of herself.

"What about Yukaoi?" she almost grumbled defeatedly.

Haku blinked in confusion, wondering how on earth Yukaoi was brought up into the conversation. "What does Yukaoi have to do with this?"

Avoiding his gaze and choosing to glare at her feet, she spoke, "Aren't you in love with her?"

Haku's mind reeled, only one word entering his thoughts, '_What?'_ Did he not make it clear when they first discussed this that he held no romantic feelings towards the dragoness and that the only mutual feelings between them were those of being allies against Yubaba? Taking in her upset expression, he figured that she was completely unaware of how he felt towards her, even though he was quite certain he'd attempted to convey them before.

Before Haku even had time to think about what he was doing, he reached out and gently turned her head to face him again, "Chihiro, I'm _not_ in love with Yukaoi, and she is also not in love with me. I lo-"

"Haku! You brainless beast!" Rin yelled loudly, interrupting him mid-sentence. He growled lowly, severely annoyed that the sable spirit had ruined a very important conversation.

He stood up as he spoke with a hint of disappointment, "We will have to finish this conversation later."

Chihiro watched with thoughtful brown eyes as he walked back down the hallway, shouting back at Rin irritatedly. She remained frozen where she sat, wondering what Haku was going to say before he was stopped. At least now she was quite sure that she was wrong about Yukaoi, but now a sort of anxiousness was growing, desperately wishing that she'd had the chance to hear the rest of that sentence.

* * *

Spirits immediately cleared the path as Yukaoi stormed through the Dragon Clan fortress's marble hall. It was unusual for them to see the usually immaculate and elegant dragoness with her long hair in a wind-swept mess, her stride bordering on angry stomping and a fierce scowl etched on her face. She looked quite ready to murder anyone that dared to so much as attempt a conversation with her. Only those that knew her well enough, which existed in very few numbers, would have recognised her behaviour and unkempt appearance, coming to the correct conclusion that she had just argued with her brother and lost... badly.

She rounded a corner sharply then slammed open the doors to her brother's quarters with far more force than required. Once she finally found everything she was looking for she slammed the doors shut again and made her way directly towards her room, earning more concerned stares by growling as she stalked, carrying a large and rather irregular shaped bag over her shoulder, probably misshapen from what various contents it held.

Yukaoi, having both her hands occupied carrying Retsu's belongings, kicked her doors open and grabbed a much smaller bag before kicking them shut again with much difficulty. One poor spirit even offered to assist her in carrying one of the bags for her to wherever she needed to take them, only to be rejected by a lethal glare. She made her way straight into the clan leaders' hall, ignoring the guard's protests that she had entered without having arranged a meeting beforehand. Because of the lack of warning, only two leaders were present in the hall and were both startled by Yukaoi's sudden appearance.

One was the leader of the dragons in the far south, able to be recognised by the short coal black hair and equally black attire. The other, the one with long copper brown hair, she believed to be the leader of the area she was in, as he was always present somewhere within the Dragon Clan Fortress. From what she knew about the two, they never got along very well, although she did not know why.

Straightening her back and putting on a false smile that was so sweet it almost made the two clan leaders cringe, she spoke with as much politeness as she could muster, "My apologies, but I feel I should quickly update on our progress before I leave." When they indicated for her to proceed with her report, she informed them, "My brother and I have located both prophecised humans and placed them under our protection along with the dragon Kohaku and the sorceress Zeniba. At present, all that needs attention now is retrieving our power and ridding the Spirit World of Yubaba."

"That is all you have to report?" asked the dark haired leader of the south, to which she nodded her response.

The copper haired leader indicated lazily to the luggage slung over her shoulder with a finger and inquired, "What do you require _that_ for?"

To this question, her scowl crept back onto her face and she grimaced. "They are supplies we did not have time to collect until now."

At her expression of pure uninhibited irritation, they chose to leave the matter alone and dismissed her. She left the fortress quickly, grumbling a little more before shifting to her dragon form and speeding back to Zeniba's.

Back in the clan leader's hall, the dark-haired dragon smirked murmured to himself with a wide smirk, "It will not be long now..."

* * *

Chihiro eyed the red haired dragon from her new position on Yukaoi's bed opposite Ryumiko's. She wasn't sure how, but it was as if the dragon's relationship with her cousin deepened with each passing second, despite the fact that Ryumiko was fast asleep and Retsu had hardly said a word. She could see it in his eyes; they never strayed far from her still form and there was a depth to his eyes that quickly vanished when they looked at another. Briefly, she wondered if it was something instinctual dragons had, then frowned a little when she discovered that a wall had now been placed between Ryumiko and herself.

Her cousin was a _dragon_. And a dragon _spirit _at that as well. Ryumiko was not only inhuman, but her cousin now belonged on an entirely different plane of existence. Though she was sure they would maintain a sisterly bond, Chihiro knew it was possible that there were things beyond her human reckoning that Ryumiko would eventually have to learn about herself. That was a side of Ryumiko she'd never really be able to be a part of.

"Hey Retsu," she started, to which the dragon turned to look at her with an expression that gave her the impression that he wasn't even aware she'd been sitting there until she had spoken. "Has Ryumiko... said anything about staying in the Spirit World?"

He hummed lightly, then said, "She mentioned once that she wasn't sure she could become the leader of the Dragon Clan, though she never declared an aversion to staying."

"Oh... What do _you_ think she'll do?" she asked, watching his reaction.

Retsu glanced at the sleeping girl once then said to her, "I would not know what she will do. Ryumiko's actions tend to be a mystery to everyone else until the time she chooses to reveal them. I think there is a high chance she will return to your world, but-"

His words drifted off as his gaze trailed back to Ryumiko's face, and from the expression that was as bright as day in those golden eyes, Chihiro could tell exactly how that sentence was going to end. Ryumiko will most likely want to return to the living world, but Retsu wanted her to stay.

"And you, are you going to stay here?" Retsu asked.

To this, Chihiro gave a short laugh and stared wistfully at her feet, "I guess it depends on how it all turns out. I've got a lot waiting for me back home, and my first reason for staying isn't exactly the same as it was eight years ago..."

"Your first _reason_?"

"Uh, well, when I first left Haku, I decided that when he came back for me I would go live with him in the Spirit World, but, I'm not so sure that's going to happen now. So I'll wait and see," she told him.

"And if he returned your affections?" he asked further.

Her head snapped back up to meet his and she gaped like a fish out of water, "I - I - Aff - _My_ affections? I - I don't think there's _those _kinds of feelings between us anymore!"

Retsu held back the urge to grin and tell the girl that the outwardly stoic dragon was just as, if not more so in love with her as she so clearly was with him. Besides, if he _did_ tell her, he was sure Kohaku would disembowel him where he stood.

Instead, he managed an ambiguous, "Okay."

It was just after dark when Yukaoi returned, filling the bedroom doorway with a vehement glare fixated on her brother. It was clear to her that he had not emerged from the room since she left and she fumed all the more knowing it. Chihiro noticed the dragoness long before Retsu did and visibly shuddered at the icy demeanor Yukaoi had returned with.

Before Chihiro could warn the red haired dragon, Yukaoi dropped the giant bag she had retrieved from the Dragon Clan's fortress on his head. Turning to glare at his sister while clutching at the new ache on his head, she sneered, "There. That's everything you said you needed. Anything _else_?"

Retsu smirked a little and rummaged through the bag before turning back to Yukaoi. "Nope that's all!" he answered in an overly cheery voice.

Once Yukaoi had stalked back out of the room with only the soft whisper of her dress to signal her exit, Chihiro asked, "What did you make Yukaoi get for you that made her so angry?"

"Nothing much, just some armour I didn't get before I left the fortress," he answered nonchalantly.

She frowned, "Then why was she so mad?"

"Hmm. I think it would be because we argued about who was going to go retrieve our belongings and the result of our argument were less than pleasing in my sister's point of view... the fact that she hates to lose could have something to do with it," he said with an amused smile.

Chihiro raised her eyebrows, "She was that mad just because she had to go get a few things instead of you?"

Retsu stared into her brown eyes with an expression that was suddenly serious, "She _hates_ to lose. And this was simply a petty argument. When she loses something worthwhile, she is indeed a force to be reckoned with..."

* * *

**So ehehe... I'M AM SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG EVERYBODY! I had so long to write and I PUT IT OFF! Anyways, so this was more of a character development chappie... Uh so yeah, not much to say other than my sincere apologies!**

**Oh! If the ending seems a little abrupt, it's because I'll be elaborating on what Retsu said in the next chappie!**

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

Kattis _(Yay! I hope this chapter didn't disappoint! Thank you so much for your review!)_

DemonMiko Jenna _(Oh yes, plenty more ChihiroXHaku ;3 I'm glad you like my story! Thank you for your review!__)_

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WoodsWolf _(I had a look at that story, and it was quite interesting :P I'm glad you are enjoying my story. Thank you so much for reviewing!)_

Tearing Rain _(Thank you so much for your review! To be honest I was spending more time trying to think of how Haku and Chihiro should reunite than actually writing it that it took so long! Many apologies for that but there'll definitely be plenty of those moments to look forward to :3)_

yeaMen227 _(Me too! I hoped you liked that little Chihiro&Haku moment :3 Thank you for your review!)_

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	24. Chapter 24

_**"Little one..."**_

The voice was little, barely a whisper, but it was enough to pull Ryumiko back from the realm of dreams. It took the voice to repeat itself once more before she was able to think coherently.

_**"****Little one, I must insist you wake up..."**_

_"Akinobu? What's wrong?"_

**_"I believe you know the answer to__ that."_**

Her mind still quite hazy from sleep, it took her a surprisingly long while to notice the soreness of her body. One side of her face was nearly numb with ache, her wrists and ankles felt as if they were burning slightly and her head pounded fiercely. She would have winced from the pain, but she figured that at the slightest movement, her cheek would start hurting. After much struggle against the pull of sleep, she blinked her eyes open blearily, taking in the soft light outside. Outside was tinted with a pale blue, signalling that it was somewhere between day and night but she couldn't tell if it was just before dawn or just after dusk. There was no form of clock or calendar in the room, so she could neither tell how long she had been asleep or what time it was at the moment. This also meant she did not know how long Retsu had been sitting there. Yukaoi was not on her bed across the room, so maybe it was still before bedtime, but that didn't tell her anything else.

Her eyes quickly strayed from the window and towards something that had startled her by tickling the side of her arm. This happened to be the mass of red hair that lay on the bed just next to her shoulder. From the way Retsu was positioned, it seemed he had been sitting beside her - and for quite some time as the bowl of empty food next to him indicated - before falling asleep with his head rested on the edge of her bed. Seeing his face brought on the memory of when she had last seen him. She remembered when Yubaba had taken her, he had tried to stop the witch but was seconds too late. She recalled the streak of red and the flash of his gold eyes as he sped towards her before she fell unconscious.

Had he been worried for her this whole time? She knew he had been asked by the Dragon Clan to watch over her, and although it was technically all her fault, he had been unable to do so. She hoped he didn't blame himself for the incident, as it wasn't his fault in any way. _He_ wasn't the one who decided to play around outside without someone to supervise in a stupid act of childish defiance against Haku.

Lifting her hand up carefully, she gently brushed a couple of messy strands of red away to reveal his face. She smiled lightly at the sight, ignoring the pain running across her face because of the action. Up close, she could see that his eyelashes were dark but flecked with shades of red and the odd streak of golden yellow. Much to her brief dismay, she noticed his eyelashes were also thicker and longer than her own. Her eyes trailed over the pale skin of his cheek, along his nose and down to his lips. She stared at them for a while before quickly catching herself and moving her eyes back up to his. She expected him to be awake, as he usually seemed to catch her in her most embarrassing moments but his eyes remained hidden behind his lids.

She breathed a silent sigh and moved her hand to gently run her fingers across Retsu's hair, enjoying the silky feel against her sore hand and he continued to sleep peacefully without any awareness of her probing eyes. With sudden realisation, she noticed the thick white bandages that covered the entire length of her forearm. She blinked and wondered how bad her bruises really were. But this thought did not carry far as the silence in the room was broken by a loud and deep rumbling. Now alarmed and puzzled as to what on earth the noise was, she tensed as if anticipating an attack. The rumbling continued until she noticed that the rumbling kept rising and falling in an even and steady rhythm, almost like... purring. Ryumiko was then able to locate the source of the rumbling noise as she stared at Retsu, whom she was still patting absent-mindedly. The rumbling noise mirrored the rise and fall of his chest as he breathed, making him resemble something like an enormous cat... And upon realising that she had made Retsu _purr_, she was unable to stifle the giggles that bubbled through her lips.

Though when the rumbling abruptly stopped, her giggling shortly drifted away, and blue eyes found wide golden eyes staring back at her.

He had wondered why he had suddenly felt so calm. After two days of stress and worry, he was quite confounded with the sudden though not unwelcome change. In fact, he had not felt so comfortable in a very long time. He didn't have to wonder long when the sound of gentle laughter reached his keen sense of hearing. And it wasn't just any laughing either, it was _hers_. Retsu doubted his ears briefly, but his open eyes confirmed that she indeed was laughing. Her eyes were closed and her mouth set in an open smile that not even the blackish bruise on her cheek could detract from her mirth. He made note of the hand that was rested atop his head, and he quickly made the connection between his relaxed mood and the feel of her hand and fingers running through his hair.

She stopped giggling soon enough, and he realised she was looking straight at him.

Ryumiko gaped silently as she stared at Retsu, _mortified_ that she had been caught _patting_ him, while she _laughed_ at his purring.

Meanwhile, Retsu was unsure of why she had stopped laughing (though at the same time wanting to know _what_ it was she found so amusing) but simply kept his eyes fixed on her to make sure he wasn't dreaming or hallucinating.

"Ryumiko?" he asked tentatively, hoping that this was indeed reality.

She pursed her lips embarrassedly, taking this as her cue to move her hand away and awkwardly avert her gaze. "Ah, sorry... just uh... I didn't mean to wake you..."

Relief spread through him at the sound of her voice and the knowledge that this wasn't a dream. He lifted his head off of the mattress to face her from a less peculiar angle, however keeping his arms of the edge of the bed to stay close to her. Her gaze was captured by his yet again, the golden rings framed by his unusually coloured lashes locked onto hers with a fiery rapture.

The intense look in his eyes rendered her mind hoplessly ineffectual and she struggled to find coherency in her words as she blurted, "Uh s-so, how l-long much sleep I erm... did?"

She watched with a nervous awareness as he tilted his head while interpreting her jumbled question. A brief moment passed and he answered, "As far as I know, you've been asleep from midday until dawn."

Her mouth opened into a silent 'o' before she continued, taking extra care to not let his eyes distract her, "And how long have I been missing?"

At this, his face lost almost all light, his mouth set in a tight grim line, loosened only when he spoke, "You were taken two days ago. We sent Haku to get you as he was the most... competent to go at the time."

She raised her brows at his statement, "Competent? I'm sure you're perfectly competent. I mean, you _have_ saved my life twice already."

She had intended for the words to lighten the somewhat dampened mood, but they seemed to fall on ears that refused to listen.

"I let Yubaba get away with you... Yes I may have saved you twice from death, but death is an easy road to take. Living is _much_ harder, and had Yubaba gained but a few mere seconds more with you, she would have made you live a long life filled with the suffering of your body and mind. _This _would have only been the beginning," he growled, gently brushing the backs of his fingers over her bruised cheek.

Ryumiko figured from the way he was acting, he blamed himself for her capture. She would have sighed in frustration at his believing that her childish mistake was his fault but thoughts of how to clear Retsu's misplaced guilt took priority over her immediate thoughts. Knowing Retsu, she'd have to make him see logic... That somethings were unavoidable and that he couldn't be there to save her _every_ single time. She'd have to say it in a way that didn't make him feel useless either..."Well then did you try to take me back or did you stand and watch me get taken away?" she asked, her eyes scrutinising his.

"I would _never _just stand there and watch as you were abducted," he immediately declared, scowling at the thought of doing such a thing. His declaration sent a rather warm feeling through her, spreading through her entire being and pulling the edges of her lips into a smile.

"Then you didn't _let_ Yubaba take me, you did the best you could, and that is _more _than I could ask for." When it looked like he was going to protest, she silenced him quickly by covering his mouth with her hand and insisted, "I'm not lying to make you feel better Retsu, it's the truth."

'_Ryumiko would kick me halfway across the world if I let you keep thinking that you've let her down or something.'_

Retsu smiled into the palm of her hand when he was reminded of Chihiro's words. And she was right, Ryumiko would not let him think any of this incident was his fault. Ryumiko felt his lips move beneath her hand and felt a tingle stirring in her palm. A light blush coated her cheeks but her moment was abruptly interrupted by one tiny dragon.

**_'Must I endure your displays of affection for much_** _**longer, or have you finished?' **_Akinobu asked with slight exasperation laced in his tone.

"Oh!" she cried, startled by the surprise of his voice and a little discomfited by the fact that someone had been watching their entire conversation (sort of...), which was something she had assumed was private between the two of them.

"Is there something wrong?" Retsu asked, worried by her sudden exclamation. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine Retsu, really. I just remembered that I need to tell you all something important," she reassured him, wondering how on earth she was going to bring up the topic that was Akinobu.

He seemed to let go of a breath he had been holding and thought of something that _she_ should know as well. He started, "I also have something important to inform you of. Your cousin has-"

But before he could tell Ryumiko about her cousin's arrival in the Spirit World, Chihiro herself bounded straight into the room with a tray full of food and a wide grin on her face, "Good morning Retsu! I brought your break...fast..." her sentence trailed off when her eyes locked on Ryumiko's wide bewildered ones.

* * *

The silence was thick... suffocating even. Chihiro seemed at a loss on what to do, she had no idea what to say to Ryumiko now that she was finally awake and out of Yubaba's clutches. Ryumiko however, looked as if she were torn between believing she was hallucinating and feeling like a cornered rabbit. Retsu didn't know what to do, stuck between the dumbfounded stares of each girl, so he opted for a quick exit.

"I shall leave you two alone then," he said non-chalantly before manuevering around Chihiro's still form and slipping out the door before either of them could say anything about it.

Chihiro gently put the tray of food down, taking the seat Retsu had just left and kept her focus on her cousin. She honestly was so happy that Ryumiko was better already, but the bruises and bandages only told her that this could happen again and that the danger was not yet gone. She fixed her gaze on Ryumiko's very shell-shocked expression and exhaled silently, preparing herself for what felt like an impending headache.

Ryumiko's mind was blank. Even the attempts made by Akinobu to try and bring her out of her stupor proved to no avail. All she could register was what she perceived as rather predatory gaze of her cousin and the oncoming verbal lashing that was sure to come.

The silence lingered on for a few more moments before Ryumiko broke under the tension, all of the pent up things she wanted to say bursting out of her like a flood.

"I'm sorry okay? I was curious and to be honest I didn't expect to _actually_ _find _the Spirit World, I thought it was just a plain old tunnel that you didn't want me to get lost in! And I'm sorry I didn't tell anyone where I was really going, I thought you'd get mad at me for looking! Besides, why didn't you tell me that your fairytales weren't fairytales? Don't you think a heads up would have been nice? Even something simple like 'Hey, Ryumiko! Just so you know, there's an evil witch out there who you _may_ want to look out for in the future!' Though I know I'm at fault for winding up here in the first place I suppose but still one thing led to another and well, I'm sorry."

"Sorry? That's all you have to say? Mum thought you had been abducted or killed! I left college in middle of... something important! Then I came all the way here only to give me the fright of my life when I discovered you'd been kidnapped by Yubaba! Not only that but I find out you're stuck here for some unknown amount of time! And what's more, you come back looking like this!" she cried, gesturing to the bandages that covered Ryumiko's arms and legs. "And you expect me to settle with a simple apology?

Wincing at the harsh scolding, Ryumiko lifted her arm a little to see one of the bandages that her cousin was scowling so viciously at.

"Oh come on, they're only a couple of bruises!" she argued.

Chihiro scoffed, "A couple of bruises? If _those_ are a couple of bruises then I'm a vegetarian lion."

Ryumiko raised her brows in mild surprise. "They're really that bad?"

Chihiro stayed silent, leaving her to come up with answer on her own. And from the look her cousin was giving her, the bandages on her body covered something worse than a bruise could ever hope to be.

Catching Ryumiko off-guard, Chihiro flung her arms around her, crushing her in a tight hug, pinning her to the bed while being mindful of her injuries. "I'm just glad you're still breathing," Chihiro mumbled.

Ryumiko smiled happily, and returned the hug before asking, "Does this mean you forgive me?"

"Not in the slightest."

"Damn."

* * *

They talked for a while longer, but Ryumiko's howling stomach and with a bit more nagging from Akinobu, they came down the stairs to have breakfast. Albeit, Ryumiko was quite unsteady, or more unsteady on her feet than usual, and relied heavily on Chihiro to help her move. She saw that only three out of the six other spirits currently in Zeniba's house were awake and in the room. Retsu, who was previously seated reading something, put down his book to watch her slow movements with great attentiveness, Yukaoi, who was bent over searching for something in a large bag (and somehow looking elegant while doing so), and Rin, who was stirring something in a large pot over the glowing heat of the fire. The whereabouts of Zeniba, No-Face and Haku were beyond her.

Once she had been seated at the table, Yukaoi came over to her, having found what she was looking for and draped a blanket around her, giving her a small smile.

"It is good to see your improved health," she said quietly, moving off to take her seat at the table.

Ryumiko smiled at the dragoness's words then found herself staring at Retsu, who was also watching her. Both having caught the other staring, they both quickly changed their line of sight and let light awkward blushes settle over their cheeks. Chihiro saw this silent exchange as she went to help Rin with breakfast and grinned at the two's obvious blossoming feeling for each other.

"Need any help Rin?" she asked.

"Not for this but could you change her bandages for me?" Rin asked, though it was more like an order than a request, then gestured to the pile of bandages behind her. With an affirmative nod, Chihiro gathered up the necessary equipment before making her way towards her cousin, who was hastily gulping down her meal in a frantic attempt to avoid anymore awkward interaction with the red dragon seated not so far away.

"Lift up your leg," Chihiro instructed, to which Ryumiko followed without even batting an eye. During the years in which Ryumiko had participated in dance lessons, she had also come across many injuries in the form of strains, cramps and knotted muscles. Whenever such things befell her, Chihiro would always sit next to her and massage the aching appendage, which more often than not proved to be more useful than what her doctor would prescribe for her. Now, it had become second nature for her to do as Chihiro asked whenever she was hurting, and so, her leg ended up resting on her cousin's lap without giving her time to question why.

Before Ryumiko realised, the bandage around her ankle had been unwrapped, revealing rings of mottled purple and yellow that encircled her leg. She froze mid-chew as she stared at her bruised ankle. To be honest, it looked worse than it really was, but it still came as a bit of a shock to Ryumiko who was thouroughly unaware that wounds beneath the white fabric were that bad. She had been in darkness for the most part of her little 'visit' to Yubaba's and fallen asleep on the way home before waking up to find herself already bandaged up. Now that she could finally see them, they suddenly seemed more sinister.

A silence settled in the room as Chihiro continued to place fresh bandages on her, to which Ryumiko felt the overwhelming urge to fill with sound.

"Um... So how long will these take to, you know, heal?" she asked no-one in particular.

Rin took the liberty of answering, "You should be fine in a week or two, though your arms might take a little longer."

She frowned, "Why would my arms take longer to heal than my legs?"

Rin turned away from the simmering pot to face Ryumiko with a raised brow, "If you think _those _are bad, then those are the least of your worries."

Ryumiko felt her eyes widen as they darted to each person in the room to see if Rin was telling the truth or just exaggerating. Her eyes locked onto Retsu's face and she could tell from the strongly impassioned glare he regarded her ankle with, that Rin wasn't exaggerating. Now she was filled with dread thinking about what horrific state her arms were in. Though once both legs had been re-bandaged, Chihiro requested that Ryumiko hold out one of her arms. She apprehensively let Chihiro take hold of one arm and watched with an uneasy feeling as the white fabric was slowly unravelled away from her outstretched limb.

Open air stung the scratches that were slowly exposed as the bandage unwound towards her wrist. As more and more angry red lines were unmasked, the more the scratches would sting and burn. Some of the scratches began to bleed from the loss of pressure the bandages provided but in Ryumiko's eyes, they just seemed to get worse as the end of the bandage neared. Once the last bit of bandaged was removed, the dark ring of bruised flesh was revealed and she winced at the memory of how her arm had gotten so damaged. The second Chihiro went to gently wipe away some of the blood coming from the scratches, she gasped in shock and yanked her arm out of her cousin's reach, cradling her aching arm with a series of loud, "Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow"s.

"Sorry!" Chihiro apologised.

Getting her bearings back Ryumiko replied, "No it's fine! In fact technically this one's my fault!"

Seeing the confusion and disbelief on her cousin's face she explained between pants, "Well I panicked when Yubaba captured me a second time and I tried to, um well, get my arms out of the chains. I clearly wasn't in my right mind at the time..." she remarked grimly as she glanced down at her discoloured forearm. "So technically_ I_ inflicted _these_."

Chihiro sighed at her cousin's foolhardy recklessness before turning to Retsu, "Would you mind helping me? This is going to sting a lot and I need her to _not_ move otherwise it'll hurt much more than it needs to."

He wordlessly left his seat and glided around the table to seat himself next to Ryumiko, waiting for Chihiro's instructions. She got him to sit behind Ryumiko, whilst he supported her arm in such a way that wouldn't hurt her and wouldn't allow her to pull her arm aside again. Under normal circumstances, Ryumiko would have been terribly embarrassed with the way he had one arm wrapped around her middle with his face close to hers, but at the moment, she was too busy fighting the whimpers of pain that tried to escape her mouth than to be concerned about Retsu's ridiculous proximity. However, even during the moment of agony, she couldn't deny that Retsu's closeness brought a kind of comforting warmth.

When her arm was rebandaged, she took a deep sigh of relief and Retsu released his hold on her, but the moment of solace was abruptly destroyed when Chihiro demanded, "Now your other arm..."

* * *

Haku was awoken from his slumber by a shriek that sounded something only akin to the sound of a particularly vile bird having it's feathers plucked out whilst still alive. Getting rid of the initial shock of having his ears ringing for a few split seconds, he rushed towards the noise suddenly panicking that someone, more specifically a human someone, was in danger. Hearing whimpering from behind the kitchen door followed by the raised voices of others, he ran a little faster and slammed the door wide open, desperately suppressing the urge to change into his dragon form until he had understood the situation entirely.

And what a situation it was...

Instead of a Yubaba-sent-monster to attack them all as he had anticipated, the sight before him was much stranger... and possibly more violent.

Chihiro had Ryumiko pinned face-down on the ground by sitting on her younger cousin's back. It seemed Retsu had been recruited by Chihiro to hold Ryumiko's arms down as she thrashed around like a fish out of water, trying to get free from her captors. Yukaoi was on her knees beside Ryumiko's head, trying frantically to console her with semi-calm words while Rin screamed abusive advice to whomever would listen from her place next to the stove. After a couple more seconds, he realised Chihiro was attempting to clean one of Ryumiko's unbandaged arms which caused the girl to howl in very loud protest.

Hearing an exasperated sigh, Chihiro whipped her head around to notice Haku who was standing in the doorway staring at them with a tired countenance.

"Haku! Help me with this!" she ordered, 'this' being Ryumiko who had orders of her own to give to the newly awake dragon.

"Haku!" she began with an incredibly menacing tone in her voice. "I swear if you do _anything_ to help Chihiro right now you will find yourself in danger of becoming my personal pony for the next decade!"

Whilst he debated about which out of the two cousins would be worse to offend, a loud voice reverberated through the room, silencing all noise and freezing everyone's movements.

**"ENOUGH!"**

...

"Oops," came Ryumiko's small voice as a glowing vapour began to seep out of her body, forming the small shape of one very irritated dragon.

* * *

***Cringes and waits for readers to slaughter her* **

**No words can describe how ridiculously sorry I am I haven't updated in ages, and this chapter was all waffle and no plot further-ing (if that's even a word) ! **

**However I seriously have tried as best as I could this time to update but my final year in high school is really much more work than I anticipated and my poor stories are getting neglected as much as I want to write! I will try to get better but to be honest I can't guarantee anything this year...**

**What makes it worse is that I've had a massive breakthrough with this story (It's going to be amazing guys get excited! :D) and I've pretty much worked out the entire thing (finally), but I don't have the time to write it which makes me want to stab my art folio (more than a little violently(more like stabbing it then ramming it down my art teacher's throat knives and all(which is completely fair in my defense since she's asked us to do 60 pages of artworks/art research in only two weeks!))) which is the damn thing that is consuming all of my spare time...**

**I am so sorry but I hope you at least enjoyed this chapter and I wish you all a happy Easter filled with chocolately goodness :3 Or if you don't celebrate Easter... I hope I can update faster as a replacement Easter egg for you :)**

**NEXT CHAPTER SHALL COME BEARING HAKUXCHIHIRO FLUFF! ! ! ! ! !**

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

WildCroconaw _(Indeed haha! Thank you for reviewing!)_

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WoodsWolf _(Agreed. Haha interesting theories, although Ryumiko isn't gonna die... She's kinda necessary to the ending :P Although don't worry... Yubaba's blood shall be shed *chuckles evilly in corner* I love reading your reviews thank you so much!)_

BloodyFantasy _(Thank you very much for your review! :D)_

FanFactor1996 _(Thank very much your for your review!)_

Moongirl12121 _(Apologies for being slow to update again! For both stories! I'm trying :3 Anyways, Thank you so much for your reviews!)_

InkWoven _(I'm glad you like the direction this is going! It's going to get better and full of evil cliffies X3 And by the way I need the pressure haha! Thank you for reviewing!)_

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	25. Chapter 25

Akinobu stood on the kitchen table, glaring down at Ryumiko who was still pinned underneath a shell-shocked Chihiro. His glowing eyes glinted at her and she swallowed a little. Despite his tiny size, he was incredibly intimidating with his piercing eyes and the waves of wild power that seemed to roll out of him, her skin tingling from the sensation of Akinobu's prescence.

"_Is this racket really necessary, halfling child?" _he growled, to which Ryumiko shook her head meekly, never moving her eyes from his. _"Then why do you feel the need to engage in such riotous cacophany?"_

"U-um... It hurt?" she responded, unsure if her reason for reacting so violently against Chihiro's ministrations was a sufficient enough excuse for her 'cacophany'.

The dragon rolled his eyes before dismissing her with a patronising sigh of disapproval. Decidedly leaving the matter alone for now, he huffed, "_I believe an introduction would be very much welcomed little one._"

Ryumiko took advantage of her captor's surprise and sat upright, pulling her arms from Retsu's loosened grip and throwing Chihiro off her before she stood beside Akinobu, ready to introduce him to the others.

"Everyone, this is - um- well _I_ call him Akinobu. I sort of rescued him - in a really roundabout way - from Yubaba. I think he's what you're looking for," she said, addressing the final part to Retsu and Yukaoi, who then stared at her in a way that made her think she might have done something quite unusual. "Uh, Akinobu, this is -"

"_Retsu and Yukaoi, the prodigious offspring of the Eastern Tenkyu dragons, and Kohaku River, once a dragon of the Northern regions_," Akinobu stated, eyeing each of the dragons he spoke of. "_I know of these children of mine already, who are the others?_"

Ryumiko blinked. It seemed the little dragon knew more about her friends than she did...

"Well, uh, this is Chihiro Ogiro, my cousin in the world of the living, and this is Rin... my er friend?"

"_You seem unsure of her status as a friend._"

"I'm not unsure if she's a friend, I just am not sure how much information on our relationship you want..."

Chihiro cleared her throat loudly, gaining their attention. She had a look on her face that to Ryumiko, seemed uneasy, "Would you care to translate for us Ryumiko?"

"Translate?" she asked. "Translate what?"

"What... Akinobu's saying," Chihiro clarified, Rin nodding in agreement.

From the ever confused expression on Ryumiko's face, the little dragon in question spoke up, _"They are not dragon spirits like the others and yourself, so they can not understand my speech._"

"Oh! Sorry!" she said, apologising to Chihiro and Rin.

_"In any case, we should make haste to exact my return to the rest of my children,"_ Akinobu said, Ryumiko translating on the side.

"Ryumiko," Yukaoi said, waiting for her to make eye contact before she continued. "Are you aware of what this means?"

When she shook her head, Yukaoi explained, "Our prophecy is fulfilled. Once we return - Akinobu, to the Dragon Clan, you must decide if you desire to claim your birthright as the leader of the Dragon Clan."

Akinobu hummed beside the shocked Ryumiko, _"It is not a bad idea. You do indeed have the makings of a fine ruler and it could be a chance for my brother to reveal himself after all these years._"

Ryumiko took a step back, taking in the expressions of everyone present. Akinobu and Yukaoi had expectant stares, Haku and Rin seemed expectant as well but in a different way, but it was Chihiro and Retsu's expressions that made her falter. Chihiro was not looking at her, and seemed as if she were about to cry. Retsu wasn't looking at her either, but instead had a grimace on his face aimed at Yukaoi.

"Uh-" she began, she could see Chihiro flinch a little, and Retsu's gaze snapped up to hers in a heartbeat. The grimace was gone but instead his gaze appeared as if he were pleading with her for something. That, combined with Akinobu and Yukaoi's expressions that appeared as if they were expecting her to take up her place as a Noble, wreaked chaos inside of her thoughts. In her confusion, she did what she did best when making tough decisions... she opted for the middle ground, "Um to be perfectly honest, I don't really know what I want... I don't know anything about this world or about the way the Clan works. Can we just show them that I'm a dragon spirit but not tell them I'm a Noble?"

Her suggestion was met with silence and a drastic change in the expectant faces of her peers. Chihiro was relieved, Haku huffed as if he expected such a choice from her, Rin was biting her ladle in contemplation, Yukaoi and Akinobu had mixed expressions of shock and intrigue... Retsu was smiling.

As if sensing the butterflies that were going crazy in her stomach, Akinobu spoke, _"I don't see anything wrong with that."_

Although Yukaoi saw a few things wrong herself, "She's not going to be able to hide it forever. Sure she can show proof she's a spirit but she can't show proof she's a dragon. Nobles don't have reptile forms! Besides, you are asking us to lie to our superiors, for which the penalties could be great if she were caught!"

Akinobu's eyes flashed with something that made Ryumiko believe that the little dragon delighted in a secret penchant for misconduct.

"_I am more than willing to offer my authority to assist in her concealment if necessary. It will give her a chance to learn about our culture and make alliances within the Clan before abruptly claiming her dominance if she so chooses. Besides, she can choose to reveal her true identity, stay or leave the Spirit World once Yubaba is eliminated as a threat. You will all be able to assist her if the need arises,"_Akinobu told Yukaoi.

Yukaoi raised a snow white brow at the little dragon, "That we can do. However the humans can not go to the Clan's fortress, you of all dragons should know this. Do you really think Ryumiko would be comfortable leaving her cousin behind?"

Both Yukaoi and Akinobu turned to face the girl in question. And unfortunately for Ryumiko, there was no mid-ground here.

"You should go Ryumiko," Chihiro announced, every pair of eyes now swivelling to her direction. "I don't want to stop you from learning about your... dragon spirit side. This might be a once in a lifetime opportunity, you should go!"

"But what about you? What will you do?"

"I'll be waiting here with Zeniba if you ever need me," she reassured, and seeing Ryumiko was about to pursue the matter, she stopped her younger cousin. "Zeniba will be able to protect me from Yubaba just fine!"

"I shall stay as well," Haku declared, his eyes fixed on Chihiro while his words were intended for Ryumiko.

_"See! As I said, all shall be well. Then we shall leave tomorrow!_" Akinobu happily declared with a quick flare of light and a flick of his tail. He caught Yukaoi's gaze and added, _"Is there anything else you would like me to settle?"_

Though she knew it was petty and her spite excessive, Yukaoi found herself venomously eyeing the small dragon, muttering under her breath, "Tremendous ego for such a diminuitive wisp of a spirit..."

* * *

It had been decided that Retsu and Yukaoi would be taking Ryumiko and Akinobu to the Clan's fortress the next day, however the rest of that day would be spent teaching Ryumiko the basics of formal dragon ettiquette so that she could behave in a way that would be considered acceptable by the Clan leaders. They had decided to convene outside, for extra room and comfort, but considering that Ryumiko knew about just as much as a rock knew about dragon manners, the teaching was bordering on spartan, especially since Yukaoi and Akinobu were constantly trying to best each other, trying to teach her more information than the other and feuding about which lessons were more important than others. Quite honestly, Ryumiko was spending more time placing mental bets on which of the two would win the arguments than actually learning anything.

"Do not confuse her with so many forms of self-introduction!"

"_She needs to know how to introduce herself properly, regardless if they are a Clan Leader or not! She is bound to meet other important dragons before she actually gets around to meeting the Leaders!"_

"You can teach her that later, now she has to know..."

While the two bickered about which form of bow would be most appropriate for her introduction, Retsu noticed the lapse of educational conversation, and chose to offer his piece of advice to her.

"Because you have returned our power to us, an act which is highly honourable, you have the right to look the Clan leaders in the eyes as equals, however since this is your first meeting, I would suggest you keep your eyes just below their eye level. We appreciate modesty," Retsu instructed, and encouraged by her nod of complete understanding - a nod which had previously been an uncertain one when Akinobu and Yukaoi were forcing as much as they could onto her at the same time - he continued. "If any of the Clan leaders give you something, which may not happen but in the event that it does, bow while accepting what is offered, and do not raise your head until the other lets go of what you are receiving."

"So I bow even if it's not really a gift?" she asked

Retsu nodded, "Yes. You bow to receive anything from the Clan leaders, regardless of the object."

"What if I am given something from someone else?"

"It is polite to bow when it is a gift to show your thanks, but you do not have to if they are serving you food or hand you something trivial," he answered noticing she had suddenly gotten very pensive. He was about to ask if she was okay but she spoke before he got a chance to.

"Have I... offended Yukaoi?" she asked tentatively, flicking a worried glance in his sister's direction.

"How would you have offended her?" he asked, quite intrigued by her sudden worries.

With her eyes now trained to the floor she answered, "Well, all this time I have been wearing the clothes she's given me, but I don't think I've ever said thank-you... let alone _this_ kind of thanks."

Fighting back the urge to laugh a little, Retsu cleared his throat before he addressed her, "No. You don't need to show such gratitude for that." _I'm sure Yukaoi does that because she thinks you are a like a new doll she can dress and groom as she desires..._ he added mentally, remembering the many times he had seen her smile appreciatively at Ryumiko, with the same satisfied smile she used when she had successfully and single handedly prepared a feast for their family.

Although his words were meant to remove any notion that she needed to thank his sister, Ryumiko felt differrently about the matter, "Well then how should I show my gratitude?"

"To express thanks for an action someone does for you, there are three different kinds of gestures-"

Ryumiko inwardly groaned. _Of course there are three different ways to say the _same_ thing!_

"-the first is the most polite, and the one you always use for your superiors. You touch your forehead with the fingertips of your right hand and then with that same hand you gesture to the recipient of your thanks."

Retsu showed her the gesture as he spoke, touching his forehead then holding his hand out as if he were handing her something. It oddly resembled blowing a kiss... only using his forehead instead of his lips...

Taking no notice of her distraction, he continued, "The second you use with your equals and subordinates, and it is done by simply touching their shoulder, using your left hand to show you are equals and your right with your subordinates."

Ryumiko noticed he didn't give her an example of this like he had with the previous one.

"-And the third you use with those you are close to. You graze their cheek with the palm of your hand."

Again, he did not demonstrate the gesture.

"When giving thanks, you must be confident and not unsure of your relationship with the other person. I should also mention that any gesture can be used to compliment or offend the other party so caution is necessary. For example, you can disrespect someone by using a gesture that exhibits subordination where respect is required, and you can compliment greatly by thanking a subordinate as an equal or as someone close to you," Retsu explained.

There was a short silence, then Ryumiko stood and with a flutter of her dress, she walked over to Yukaoi carefully placing her bandage encased left hand on the dragoness' shoulder. Yukaoi was startled out of her argument with the infuriating little dragon when Ryumiko had touched her shoulder, and after a few moments, she recognised the expression of thanks. Unsure if Ryumiko knew what she was doing, she flicked wide silver eyes at her brother who nodded meaningfully.

"And what have I done to earn such gratitude?" Yukaoi asked her, suprise evident through her tone.

Removing her hand, Ryumiko pressed it to the dress she was wearing, "For these! And for the time I discovered I was a spirit and panicked."

The dragoness' white lips pulled into a bemused smile, and she reached out with both hands and clasped the blue eyed girl's right hand, "The pleasure is all mine."

When she was released from Yukaoi's grasp, she quickly hurried over to Restu, whispering, "What did that gesture mean?"

Retsu smiled at her, "She expressed exactly what she said."

"Yes but what level of politeness?" she asked.

"The most polite."

"Why would she when I obviously wanted to show we're equals?" she asked, a deep frown developing between her brows.

Retsu mused thoughfully, "It is probably because she was also appreciative of your _offer _to be equals."

The frown erased in a split-second, "Oh." But the frown then returned full force after a brief moment and she began rubbing her temples. "This is so confusing! How am I supposed to know what the other person is thinking all the time?"

He laughed quietly, "You trust your instincts."

* * *

She was watching the two dragons and the little glowing ghostly serpent teaching her cousin with warm brown eyes. She was huddled on a cushioned window seat with a thick wool blanket over her legs that had her small bare toes poking out from the edge of the fabric. Her face was illuminated and warmed by the morning sun filteringg through the glass and steam from the cup of tea she cradled in long slender fingers, curled in a plume that glided over her cheeks. And this image of Chihiro was being immortalised in Haku's memory as he watched her from his prime position at the breakfast table.

As he was memorising her matured profile, finding that while he still adored the image of her when she was younger, he decided that he definitely liked the way her features had grown over the past eight years, becoming more womanly and alluring. He remembered treasuring the last image of her before she left to go back to the realm of the living in the eight years of their separation, often wondering at odd moments what she looked like since her departure from the Spirit World.

Though now that she was finally before him, he wasn't sure how he should behave. He already knew his instincts told him to never let her go again, and he would given the chance, however Chihiro was human and seemed to have believed he had abandoned her over the years. Which meant he'd have to win her over before she returned to the Living World. Just how he did that though was beyond him, since eight years ago, he didn't really have to court her, they just fell in love together... but now it was fairly one-sided in his opinion and he had no experience in courting _at all._

As far as he knew, courting required communication of feelings, something he clearly had issues with. It also required mutual trust, something he was in the middle of repairing since the misunderstanding involving Yukaoi, and affection, somthing he had a lot of, but he wasn't sure about Chihiro anymore... Eight years ago, she had somewhat depended on him for help, and she kept as close as she could to him throughout her time in the Spirit World. Now she was indepedant, she didn't really need to rely on his help all that much and most annoyingly, it appeared she was doing all she could to get away from him...

With a scowl, he stood up determinedly and sat on the other end of the window seat with his back leaning against the wall so that he was directly facing her.

Chihiro was startled out of her watchful supervision over her cousin and she whipped her head to find Haku seated across from her, his green eyes intently focused on hers. Matching his gaze and taking a wary sip of tea without breaking eye contact, she searched his face for clues as to what he wanted to say. Instead of continuing their passive power struggle, he gave the barest hint of a frown and then pulled the edge of the blanket down slightly, making sure her toes were covered before her returned to his orignal position but choosing instead to keep his eyes on something beyond the window.

Taking another sip of tea, Chihiro raised an eyebrow at the dragon's antics. Even as a child she often had no idea what was going on in that head of his. On rare occasion he allowed her to see emotion in his expressions but usually she had to guess by what little inkling of emotion that shone in the depths in his gaze. And though she could guess how he was _feeling_, she never really knew what he was _thinking__. _

At first when he had sat down opposite her on the window seat, she had initially assumed he was about to argue about something judging from his expression, but then he had suddenly switched to 'mother hen mode' and fixed a tiny problem with her blanket she wouldn't have noticed if he hadn't already found it. It was an oddly sweet gesture, but she wouldn't lie if she said she was a little confused with her own conflicting emotions.

She was aware of the part of her that was begging her to give up her stubborn pride and just fling herself into his arms, but there was the side of her that had grown in the past eight years that had somewhat given up on her first love. So she was still quite in love with the river dragon, she knew it, but her confusion lay with the fact that she thought she wasn't. Rather than confusion about their relationship - though that was another matter entirely that had to be dealt with - she was more confused with her own doubt about what she _really_ felt and what she _thought_ she felt.

Although now that she thought about it, she remembered the first time they had moved there, she had acted like she hated her parents for deciding to move, but reflecting on it, that was just a front for her own terror of trying to make new friends in an unfamiliar school. To her, it seemed that not just Haku, but also she herself had a lot of issues expressing what she really felt.

"What do you do at this 'college'?" Haku asked out of the blue.

The abruptness and unexpected nature of the question, combined with the high level of concentration and deadly serious expression from Haku caused Chihiro to spit out her tea as she erupted into a fit of giggles. She came to the quick conclusion that Ryumiko must have mentioned college at some point during her stay, but that was trivial knowledge compared to the sight of Haku's austere face fluctuating between bewilderment and pouting.

At first the poor dragon was completely shocked from Chihiro's reaction to what he believed was a simple question about how she was faring in the world of the Living. Once her reaction finally sunk in, Haku didn't know what was quite so funny about what he said, until it dawned on him that she wasn't laughing at the question, but at him. What was so funny about him? When his face melted into a frown, the giggles subsided and she spoke with amusement blatantly clear in her voice.

"Well I have been studying art for a while, and I am also doing a few side subjects on top... Why the sudden question?"

"Ryumiko mentioned your interest in pursuing art at this 'college' briefly." Chihiro smiled, having guessed corretly how Haku had discovered college. Haku continued. "I have no knowledge of such an institute and I would like to know more," he answered flatly.

Brown eyes studied green for a moment and then Chihiro spoke, "Seeing as I'm also interested in what happened here since I left, why don't we take turns in asking questions?"

Haku raised an eyebrow in interest. He was also pleased that they had somehow broken the tension and were engaging in a normal conversation. The fact that Chihiro had willfully presented this offer to extend the length of their discourse herself, made sharing their stories much more appealing. "That sounds appealing..."

She took that as a cue to begin, "You already told me what happened to you and Rin after I left, but you stopped right after you escaped to Zeniba's. Can you tell me more?"

Haku hummed thoughtfully. To be honest, the only real important parts after she had left for the world of the Living with her parents, were the bits he had already told her and remembered completely. It was a bit of a struggle to rememeber the menial events succeeding their narrow escape from Yubaba... "After we consulted Zeniba about our curse we decided that four spirits living in this tiny cottage would have been too crowded, so Rin and I purchased the cottage. We wanted to keep an eye on Yubaba as well as an eye out for you incase you returned. However we didn't anticipate your cousin to be the first human through those gates before you."

Chihiro giggled, "Yep that's Ryumiko. Always ruining other people's plans."

"What plans has she ruined for you?" Haku asked.

Chihiro's giggle died down. Crap.

"W-Well aside from college... I was _going _to hang out with this guy, Allen," she regretfully noticed his visible stiffening. "But when I went to go look for Ryumiko who went missing, he didn't turn out to be as nice as I'd hoped."

He relaxed the tiniest bit at the knowledge that this, _Allen_, was deemed unworthy of her affections, but part of him raged at one particular detail.

"What do you mean he was not 'nice'?" he asked tersely.

Chihiro threw a confused glance at the sudden anger in his voice, "It wasn't a big deal or anything."

"Did he hurt you?" he asked, his voice bordering on a growl.

She was oddly shocked. Allen was dull but they had been friends before they'd tried to date, and she felt slightly offended by Haku's judgement of her friend, "What? No, he's not that kind of person!"

"You said you thought he was nice but then he turned out to be unpleasant. It seems you do not really know what 'kind of person' he is. Did he say anything to hurt you?"

She was surprised Haku felt so vehemently about this but she felt it was in their best interests that she explained exactly what happened, "No! But I told him I couldn't go out with him for dinner because of Ryumiko, and then he decided that I wasn't interested in him and said that he basically didn't want to date me because I seemed like I was in love with you!"

There was a still silence and Haku blinked in shock as her cheeks slowly began to glow a vivid red. After a few stunned moments as both processed what had or what had been inadvertantly said, a smirk spread over Haku's face.

"Hmph. Idiot," he noted quietly to himself.

"What?" she asked incredulously, not quite sure if she had heard him correctly.

"He was a fool for not considering your affections," he clarified. It was a good thing for him, because it meant that Chihiro was not going to be conflicted with feelings for Allen and could focus solely on-

"Haku?" Chihiro asked, the blush receeding but maintaining a delicate rosy hue that settled on the tops of her cheeks. Now having his full attention, she continued, "Yesterday, when we were talking... What were you going to say before Rin interrup-"

"Chihiro!" cried Ryumiko as she burst into the cottage with wobbly enthusiasm.

Chihiro and Haku shared a glance that clearly expressed their mutual desire to strangle the poor girl that had picked the worst possible time to come in. Before Chihiro could voice her irritation, her cousin began rubbing her unbruised cheek against her own. After a few rubs, Ryumiko ran off again, well, really she stumbled awkwardly away trying not to hurt her sore ankles, leaving Chihiro completely stunned and Haku grinning a knowing smile.

"She told you she loves her family... You," he translated for her.

She brought a hand up to the cheek that had been nuzzled by Ryumiko, and her fingertips lightly grazed the affecionate warmth that lingered there. A small smile crept onto her lips. It seemed that maybe she wouldn't have to worry about the distance growing between her and her cousin in the future.

* * *

Ryumiko stared fascinatedly at the glow of her bandages in the moonlight that streamed through the bedroom window. The stark white linen on her limbs glowed, making her body luminescent in the light. She was too distracted by the sight to fall asleep.

_**"Are you sure you are distracted from sleep by the light of the moon, and not by the events of tomorrow?"**_Akinobu asked judiciously.

She sighed, _"Are you sure none of them will find out I am not a full Reptillian dragon? I mean... I can't avoid transforming into a dragon forever!"_

She could hear the dragon 's rumbling laughter, **_"That is why I am going to help you. I will also be your mentor in all things regarding my children's behaviour during your stay in the Dragon Clan, if you desire for me to do so of course."_**

She sat bolt upright with frantic thoughts, _"No, no, no, no, no! Akinobu, please don't leave! I need you to help me! I can't do this on my own!"_

Hearing the dragon's chuckle again, she pouted. The stupid dragon was teasing her. Slapping her hand on the side of the bed in an immature way, she whined, _"Don't do that Akinobu! I'm stressed enough as it is!"_

Before she got a chance to lay back down again, the door opened with a long, slow creak. Whipping her attention to the door, she caught sight of worried vibrant gold in the crack between the door and the wall.

"Retsu?" she whispered.

Hearing his name, he opened the door wider and quickly hopped into the room, "I heard you moving and I thought something might have been wrong. Are you okay?"

She smiled, "Yep. Just having an animated... discussion with Akinobu."

Retsu moved to the chair that was still placed next to the bed and sat down, studying the girl intently. Something was off and he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Are you sure you're okay Ryumiko?"

She swallowed thickly and it was clear to Retsu that she was avoiding looking him in the eyes. "No! It's fine! Akinobu's helped me a lot anyway!"

**_"Liar._"**

_"Quiet_ _you!" _she snapped mentally.

Though Retsu wasn't fooled anyway. Her restlessness, fidgeting, obvious lies and anxious wringing of her blanket's edge were large indicators of her distress. But she was also clearly unwilling to discuss her problems. He needed a way to alleviate her fears without invading her desired silence.

Ryumiko however was waiting patiently for Retsu to say something, since he was just sitting there silently. So she was suprised when his voice, though quiet, suddenly cut through the silence.

"Turn around," he instructed.

Although she sent him a rather perplexed gaze, she shuffled so that her back was facing him. She was about to ask what he was doing but her words had no chance to form when she felt fingers running through her hair. As her eyes drooped to a close, she could feel his fingertips lightly brushing over her scalp and trail down to the tips of her hair before returning back to the top of her head. She noticed that the movements were not random strokes but rhythmic and purposeful... and they were oddly calming despite her hyper-awareness of Retsu's fingers in her hair. Her lips twitched into a small smile as a thought occurred to her.

"Are you trying to tell me something through a dragon gesture?" she asked humorously.

He ran his fingers through her hair for a few more lengths before replying, "In a way."

"And what would that be?" she asked.

"We use this to tell others not to worry. To be calm. To go to sleep untroubled," he answered succintly.

She pursed her lips, "I guess I'm not great at lying then, huh?"

"Not particularly no."

"But you aren't going to ask me what's wrong?" she asked, wondering why he chose to comb through her hair with his fingers instead of asking her directly.

"I can guess you are nervous about tomorrow, and I assume you have great concerns for the future. But I also thought you might have desired to share your worries when you felt like it," he answered. "Also, it is not healthy for the mind to enter sleep in a state of stress."

She smiled. "Thank you Retsu."

"You are more than welcome Ryumiko."

And after a couple of minutes, she was soundly asleep.

* * *

**Oh...Wow...**

**My apologies everyone! I can't believe I haven't updated since Easter! Time sure does fly when you are in your last year of highschool :/**

**Anyway, I'm seriously sorry for my lateness! I felt so bad everytime I thought about my stories (which was a lot by the way!) and as you have probably seen by now, this chapter is relatively monstrous in size, and that's because I have been working on it sporadically over the past months and wasn't sure where to end it. But I thought I found a good ending. **

**And poor Haku and Chihiro just can't seem to get their timing straight XD **

**Also! I can't believe I've hit 200 reviews already! It means a lot to me guys and I'm glad you are enjoying this as much as I am!**

**Many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

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	26. Chapter 26

Chihiro sighed as she watched her cousin fly off on Retsu's back on her way to the Clan. Though before she had given the dragons a thourough threatening should they fail to protect the girl in her absence, she still felt worry pit in her stomach as the shapes of her cousin and the dragons soon shrank into tiny black dots. When she couldn't see the dots in the sky, she turned to see Haku standing only a mere couple of metres behind her.

She frowned slightly, wondering how long he had been standing there but chose to ignore and walk right past him... unsuccessfully.

"Chihiro," he called softly, holding onto her arm.

She whipped around to face him, "What do you want?"

"To talk. Without being interrupted by your cousin, or anyone else for that matter," he said, imploring her for the chance to finish their much needed discussion.

Chihiro bit the inside of her cheek in thought before giving up with a sigh, "Fine. Talk."

Haku's brows twitched closer together at the irritated lilt in her voice, "Why are you suddenly hostile?"

"_Sorry_ if I am still angry at you," she spat back.

"You seemed perfectly capable of civil conversation yesterday," he pointed out annoyedly.

Chihiro flared defensively, "I wasn't civil and you were? What was with that interrogation about Allen? You were practically barking at me!"

He pursed his lips, determined to hold back from shouting out his frustrations. "Dragons don't bark," he stated, enunciating each word.

She flung her hands in the air dismissively, "Roar, growl, whatever! Point is it wasn't very 'civil' of you! At least by human standards."

"Well I'm not a human Chihiro."

"You think I don't know that?"

"I think you don't understand that sometimes."

"Do you realise how hard it is to understand when you don't talk to me about being a dragon?"

"I find it hard to talk to you when you hardly listen to me!"

"Again! Sorry!"

"I don't think you are sorry."

"So dragons don't understand sarcasm. Finally, first piece of information in a long time!"

"You are being petty now."

Chihiro scoffed at the insult and started to head back into the cottage, "You're impossible!"

"You are immature!"

At this she whipped herself around and stalked up to him angrily, "Why do you even bother anymore? You've obviously moved on!"

Haku visibly flinched and he felt a restraint on his frustration break, "Can you not see that I am doing everything I can to show you I still care about you?!"

Chihiro's froze at the sudden outburst and her voice struggled to come out any louder than a whisper, "Why?"

"Because..."

He suddenly seemed to realise his loss of control and began composing himself. Seeing this, Chihiro reached out before he could close himself off again, holding onto the sleeve of his hakama, "Because what?"

"Because I am afraid of losing our friendship," he replied in a monotone, subtly averting his gaze from hers.

"We both know that's not it..." she commented picking up on the lie but slightly frowning at the underlying implication that she had just been 'friend-zoned'.

Haku only had to momentarily meet her searching brown eyes before the words tumbled out of his mouth, "Then it is because I have already decided that losing you again would be an excruciating fate I would not even wish on Yubaba herself." When Chihiro only stared blankly in shock, he grasped her shoulders, imploring her to understand, "Do you know how hard it was knowing I was finally free from Yubaba but that it came with the cost of being able to see you? Not only was I unable to go to your side as I wished, but I had to wait for you to come to the Spirit World and even then I didn't want you come _at all_ if it meant that Yubaba was using me to trap you!"

Tears pricked the sides of her eyes as she realised just how self-righteous and how obstinate she had been towards Haku; of course she wasn't the _only_ one who had suffered the past eight years, she'd just assumed by his rather inexpressive features that he had fared much better than she had. How wrong she was. She wouldn't even know _how_ to cope if she was in his place.

"Chihiro," he said her name softly and in a way that made her head finally realise what her heart had been trying to communicate to her all those times when she was supposed be angry at him but was instead calmed by him, when her heart was hammering as she returned to the Spirit World and all those times when she had unwittingly painted those mesmerising green eyes that were searing into her at that very moment... she was still as much in love with Haku as she had been eight years ago. All those years of separation, her attempts to remove him from her mind and ignoring him, changed nothing.

And if the swirling pools of emotion in Haku's eyes were anything to go by, their feelings were quite mutual.

His eyes seemed to capture her, pulling her closer so that she rested her forehead against his, a gesture that was heartwrenchingly familiar to the day she discovered his name. But it was all the more different at the same time. They were no longer the smaller and naive children they had been eight years ago. Standing this close to Haku, she was now aware of just how much taller he was now as she gazed up into his eyes, how much broader his shoulders were and now that she was aware of it, how much his features had become more mature and masculine. Her eyes caught sight of his lips and she blushed, quickly lifting her eyes back up to his.

All of a sudden, in the brief moment her eyes had strayed from his, his green eyes had darkened with something she couldn't name but sent heat coursing through her body. Before she could ponder what it was, he leaned down, closing the gap between them and capturing her lips with his. Her eyes closed as the heat she had felt turned to fire under the caress of his lips. As his hands moved from their place on her shoulders to gently cradle her face, she wondered how she had ever thought she was anything but in love with Haku. The kiss was sweet, warm and conveyed eight years worth of love and longing. She met his tenderness with her own desire as she looped her arms around him, holding them together just that little bit more.

When they broke apart from their kiss, Haku seemed as if he were trying to say something but unable to find the words. Understanding what he was trying to say, Chihiro smiled and pressed her fingers to his lips, "I love you too. Forgive me for being so horrible to you?"

She got her answer with a bone crushing hug.

* * *

Ryumiko lay flat out on the grass of the hill they had stopped on and sighed to the wind, "How much longer until we get to this place?"

Yukaoi's bell-like laugh came from above her, "Not too long."

"You said that like an hour ago... What is this for anyway?" she asked, pointing at the elaborate detail on the pale gold dress she was given for the day.

"You'll be meeting the leaders of our clan so I thought it would be helpful to make a good impression," she explained.

Ryumiko raised an eyebrow. She was wearing the most beautiful dress she probably would ever see in her life and it was because it would help her make a good impression? Just what did these dragons wear on even more important occasions than this?! Despite loving the new dress, she wished that she didn't have sleeves of white bandages along her forearms and a bandage across her cheek, but it was unavoidable until the worst of the injuries was gone.

Akinobu had materialised while they stopped for one of Ryumiko's many 'food breaks', and was currently lounging in a sunny patch of grass beside her. She smiled as she stayed watching the tiny ghostly dragon, happy that he was able to peacefully relax in the sun. After all she only spent two days in Yubaba's grasp and hated it, Akinobu had remained there for over eight years... she was glad she was able to rescue him.

She then moved her gaze to Retsu, who was sitting silently a little way off from her. She frowned when she realised his back was turned to face her. He had been brooding all day, pretty much all day and she had no idea why or how to deal with it.

"I think we should get going now. This was probably the last stop before we get there," Yukaoi smiled at her and held out a pale hand. "Ready?"

To be surrounded by a number of powerful dragons who may or may not have the desire to kill her for past grudges against her lineage she was not aware of until little over a week ago? "As ready as I'll ever be..."

* * *

Meanwhile, Retsu had been conflicted with the thoughts his sister had been subtly trying to warn him about earlier. This morning, he was fine... until Ryumiko had come downstairs dressed in such finery. Though she was oblivious to it, she had left him breathless at the sight of her. Of course he had always known she was quite attractive but today she was simply... . And nothing had hit him harder that morning than the realisation that in the future, she may indeed be well off his limits with her being part Noble and him being Reptillian. Not that he was currently courting her or vying for her attention... or was he?

These thoughts led him around in a dizzying and inconclusive circle. It also didn't help that today, Ryumiko would remain in all her splendour, enticing and thus confusing him all the more. Yes he enjoyed her company, yes he knew he cared for her, and yes he felt a definite overprotective streak towards her but did that mean he had _those_ kinds of feelings towards the girl? His only source of comfort for that day were two facts.

One. If he _did_ come to the conclusion he was romantically invested in the girl, maybe the rules would be bent because she was not completely of Noble blood and also there were no other Nobles in existence to compete against.

Two. Chihiro had designated Yukaoi as the dragon who would carry Ryumiko. Which was comforting as he was unsure of how he would handle physical contact with her at such a confusing time.

Though today, fate wasn't so kind. He felt a hand on his shoulder and turned to see the girl who currently plagued his thoughts.

"We're going," she told him with a brief smile.

As he stood, she continued talking, "Hey Retsu, are you okay? You seem kinda out of it."

He turned gave her a reassuring smile, "I was simply contemplating future complications and how to counter them with as little trouble as possible." It wasn't a _complete _lie but he felt a twinge of guilt for dodging the whole truth anyway.

She blinked in suprise, "Oh! Good thinking!... What do you _do_ anyway?"

At this, his guilt melted away and his brows raised in curiosity, "What do I do?"

"In the Dragon Clan I mean," she clarified.

"I am a General under my leader's domain of rule," he answered shortly.

Ryumiko nearly stumbled at the new information, "A General? As in like a commander of an army type General?"

"Yes."

"Woah," she breathed. She knew he was strong and could fight but she had assumed all dragons could do that, like a type of instinct. But this new piece of information not only revealed something about Retsu, but also that the dragon race was much more organised than she had been inclined to believe. She frowned when something suddenly dawned on her, "So... what was a General doing hanging around Rin's house?"

He cleared his throat, "Well, as you know there was a chance that the prophesised one would turn up there."

"I know that. But did they really need a _General_ to find the 'prophesised one'? I mean a soldier or something probably would have been satisfactory."

Retsu smirked, "Personally I think having a General was a wise choice considering the day we first met."

Thinking about the savage bird made Ryumiko shudder then nod in agreement, "You're right."

A growl abruptly erupted a little ways off from them and they both turned to see Yukaoi and Akinobu arguing what formalities should be performed upon their arrival to the Dragon Clan... again. Ryumiko hurried up to the quarreling duo and gently touched Akinobu, though it wasn't really touching since the little dragon wasn't exactly a physical form. Still, Akinobu felt her and stopped mid-sentence to face the girl.

"We need to get going shouldn't we?" Ryumiko tentatively asked, subtly implying that they should stop fighting.

With a huff and a literal puff of smoke, Akinobu disappeared under her skin and she smiled in relief. Yukaoi, agitated that the little serpent had retreated from their 'discussion' turned away from them and leapt into the sky, leaving Ryumiko stunned and Retsu with the sudden realisation that he would now have to be the one to carry the object of his immediate thoughts. It was going to be a long flight.

Albeit, he did not notice her presence after some time. Once Ryumiko had finally settled down comfortably, she seemed to meld to his scales and became unnoticable to him, and for that he was thankful for her Noble blood. He _did_ notice however, that somehow, with her on his back that his flying was smoother and more stable... if that was even possible. But regardless of these oddly relaxed moments, the slightest adjustment Ryumiko made immediately brought Retsu back to reality and threw him into his whirlwind of confusion once more. A long flight it was.

* * *

The arrival of the sibling dragons and their charge at the fortress was cause for much commotion amongst the dragons. As the nine Dragon Leaders assembled in their hall, the other dragons that worked within the fortress were frantically preparing suitable accomodation for the guests. It was a pandemonium that was only quelled once the visitors were sighted and everyone came to a halt.

The leaders murmurmed amongst themselves in great anticipation and fell deadly silent as a messenger dragon entered, announcing the entrance of the two dragons from the east and the prophesised spirit.

The three entered, with the two dragons in front, concealing the third person behind them. All three bowed and waited for the eldest Dragon Leader to greet them.

The eldest, a tall dragon with a long yellow beard and fiery orange eyes stood with arms opened wide, "Welcome Yukaoi and Retsu of the Eastern Tenkyu dragons and our esteemed guest. Please tell us what news you bring."

Ryumiko lifted her head as the others did and could not help but stare. Sure the pale marble hall was astonishing in itself and more than once Akinobu had told her to stop admiring the scenery and pay attention to what was happening. Now, she couldn't tear her eyes from the impressive sight the clan leaders made.

She knew, thanks to Akinobu, that the man who had greeted them was the eldest. She didn't believe it at first since the 'eldest' dragon looked as if he were twenty, but she soon recalled that spirits could choose how they aged. She figured that was going to throw her off a lot in the future. She could vaguely hear Retsu and Ryumiko relaying the previous events that befell them and Akinobu informing her about each leader, but her attention focused on only two of the leaders. Neither had their attention on her (yet) but they held hers nonetheless.

The first was a tall and well-built dragon who appeared in his mid forties. He had long copper-like hair that was secured in a low ponytail and similar copper eyes. He had lines etched into his face spoke of countless things he had experienced in life, horrors in the lines around his eyes, great joy in the lines that lightly appeared on his cheeks... she had no idea what made this dragon so much more interesting than the others, there was nothing particularly special about him but she couldn't stop the nagging feeling of being drawn to this stranger.

The other dragon that had caught her attention, was a steely eyed dragon beside the copper haired one. This dragon was slightly shorter than the other but that didn't diminish his imposing atmosphere. His short cropped jet black hair and his white eyes added to the brooding and borderline furious expression the dragon bore as he listened to the tales of recent events. There was something about this dragon that set her on edge.

Akinobu supplied her thoughts with the relevent information, _**'The dragon with copper hair is Lord Natsuo of the Fortress.'**_

_'Just the fortress?' _she inquired.

_**'This fortress lies in the centre of the eight regions. The title refers to the central region not just the fortress.'**_

'_Oh... then shouldn't that make him more important than that 'Eldest' dragon if he's the head of the fortress?'_

**_'No. Each leader is the strongest within their respective region, but amongst other leaders, their rank lies in age, so that there is a balance of strength as well as wisdom.'_**

_'Makes sense I guess... What rank does Lord Natsuo lie on?'_

**_'He is the third highest leader amongst the dragons but I do believe he is possibly the strongest out of them all,'_ **Akinobu commented, before moving onto the other dragon. _**'That other one there, that is Lord Raiden of the South, fourth in rank and third in strength.'**_

_'He seems... unhappy,' _Ryumiko noted, observing the creepy glint in the eyes of the dragon in question.

_**'Indeed. Pay attention now, I believe it will soon be your turn to introduce yourself.'**_

And with that, Ryumiko's heart began to thunder with anticipation, the weight of the her next actions suddenly sinking in. Once Yukaoi finished her account of their tale, the Eldest spoke again, "You mean to say that our esteemed guest has already retrieved our power from Yubaba?" Ryumiko noticed all of the leaders subtly lean forward in curiosity.

Yukaoi gave a firm nod of her head, "Yes, it is so. I and my brother have seen and even conversed with our power ourselves."

"Step forward spirit!" commanded the Eldest.

Ryumiko wasn't sure who he was talking about at first, but she soon realised, once Retsu and Yukaoi stepped away to reveal her, that it was time for her to take centerstage... and what a stage it was. She had never felt so much expectation, scrutiny, awe and disappointment directed at her all at once and with such strength. She almost shied away, but slight encouragement from Akinobu and a quick reassuring smile from Retsu and Yukaoi allowed her to remember what she was supposed to do. With a quick step forward and a very low bow, she reminded herself to keep her eye level below the Leaders'.

"You may rise and tell us your name child," the Eldest said.

'_Why does everyone keep calling me a child?!'_

**_'Because you _are_ a_ _child.'_**

"My name is Ryumiko Ogiro," she stated, loud enough for everyone to hear.

"Ryumiko Ogiro, would you please present the Clan's power to the Leaders."

With a deep breath, Ryumiko stretched a hand out with her palm raised upwards. Slowly, probably to add to the drama Ryumiko guessed, Akinobu materialised out of the glowing wisps of smoke that trailed out of her palm. As soon as Akinobu had completely formed, she could hear excited murmurs around her. She also desperately wished to see the expressions of the dragons, but she reminded herself once more not to do so incase she let her eyes rise above the level of one of the Leader's. As she concentrated on not looking at the Leaders, she noticed an orb-like object in front of her, something she couldn't see when the other two were standing in front of her. It was glowing in a very similar way to Akinobu but the orb's glow was faint, like a dying fire.

'_Is that where you live?' _Ryumiko asked Akinobu, still able to communicate telepathically with their physical connection.

_**'Yes.'**_

_'It's rather small for you to live in isn't it?' _she questioned with a small frown. Surely Akinobu wasn't a prisoner was he?

_**'It is a home that I may come and go to as I please, no need to worry little one.'**_

"What a fortunate day!" exclaimed the Eldest. "If you may, would you please return the power to us?"

With a nod, Ryumiko stepped toward the orb, as Akinobu instructed her, and she lowered her arm so that the dragon could easily reach the ball. She thought all was going well as Akinobu stood atop the orb, but after a few seconds, something seemed wrong. She looked Akinobu in the eyes, demanding to know what was supposed to happen. The dragon simply looked frustratedly at the ball before turning to face the now disgruntled Leaders.

_"It would seem that we have underestimated Yubaba."_

* * *

**FINALLLYYYYY! My gosh Haku it only took you forever! Mind you it took me forever to update as well... but I HAVE FINAL EXAMS NEXT WEEK! *goes into a mindless panic* Anywho, this chapter had a lot of plot furthering (for once) and I would really appreciate some critiquing because I'm not sure if this chapter felt too rushed...**

**!*! HOWEVER on an awesome note, FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER I HAVE FANART! It's a gorgeous illustration from the last chapter and I have huge thanks for Sanando-Maris-Anguis for the drawing! Firstly, I feel so privileged to have fanart in the first place and secondly, I think you really captured this moment perfectly! It is such a joy to see my characters come to life! Check it out it's actually amazing! **

**Here's the link:**

** fav. me/ d5jetc0 (Remove spaces when pasting into address bar)**

**But I shan't forget my many thanks to you dear reviewers!**

Anabelle9 _(I'm glad you like my writing! It shall keep going! Thank you so much for your review!)_

WoodsWolf _(Haha, well we all do have our crazy side :P Thank you for your review!)_

FruitySmell _(Thank you so much, I'm so glad you have enjoyed the story thus far and hope you keep enjoying! :D)_

Genie2130 _(No problem :D Thank you so much for reviewing!)_

FoxxyNeko _(Sorry for another long wait but just a few more weeks then my exams will be over and then I'm a FREE WOMAN! :D Thank you so much for your review!)_

Moongirl12121 _(Yay new computer! Me too... I wish Retsu would just sweep Ryumiko off her feet already... save me the trouble of sorting through their emotional crap :P Thank you so much for your reviewing!)_

InkWoven _(Sorry again for the wait! And I'm glad you enjoy reading this story! I also feel quite happy from your review because I am so pleased to be able to create a story that garnered such praise even though I'm still only a teenager at present :P Thank you for your review!)_

Evanna23 _(Thank you so much for your review! Although I do have one question, can you please show me what you consider offensive language in my writing so that I can adjust the story appropriately. I did look for it but could not find anything as such, though keep in mind we do live in different countries so what you may consider offensive may not be at all offensive where I come from. Also I am going by the original Japanese film, and it is Rin in the original version, the English version is Lin. I didn't want to make it Lin because Lin is a Chinese name and both the film and Rin are Japanese. Thank you so much for reviewing though and I hope you enjoyed this chapter!)_

**For the rest of you: Please Review!**

**Because you can encourage me for my exams!**

Haha that's a lie, this chapter only came out because I was avoiding study :P

**But still...**

**New review box/Button is here!**

**l  
v**


	27. Chapter 27

Ryumiko jumped a little as all of a sudden the quiet room echoed a cacophany of outcry and confusion. In their distraction, she felt it might be okay to look up at the Leaders, to see what was going on. They were all talking loudly amongst themselves gesturing at each other, Akinobu, sometimes her. Some showed panic on their faces, some fear, some anger. As her eyes scanned across the room, she ended up locking eyes with the warm orange-brown ones of Lord Natsuo. Her eyes widened as she realised she had been caught lifting her eyes towards the Leaders, but came to notice that Lord Natsuo was the only Leader in the room that was not engaged with conversation with anyone and was instead gazing intensely at her.

_"My children, be calm,"_ rang out Akinobu's voice, causing everyone to be still and Ryumiko's head to snap back down. _"It should not be suprising to find Yubaba has prevented me from returning to you completely as we have discerned just now."_

The Eldest stood with a short nod, "You are correct. In the meantime, what do you suggest, Great One?"

Ryumiko was sure she saw Akinobu's glow momentarily brighten with the title before he floated back to her, resting on her shoulders.

_"I shall remain with the girl Ryumiko,"_ he declared.

She could hear the murmurs of apprehension float around her, confirmed by the disapproving drawl of Lord Raiden, "And what qualifications does this _human_ have that make her more eligible to be your caretaker than any of us? We are the Leaders of this Clan!"

Ryumiko would have sent a sharp glare towards the black haired lord of the south at the insinuation she was inadequate in some way, however Akinobu required her to keep focused.

_"Ryumiko is a dragon spirit and has already proven a suitable caretaker,"_ Akinobu stated.

"How is that possible? She is clearly a human!" Lord Raiden spat back.

_"Her mother kept her in the world of the living by means of storing her in the body of a stillborn child," _Akinobu explained.

When a few exclaims of disbelief started to rise, the Eldest calmed them by addressing her once again, "Child, can you please authenicate these claims of being one of the dragon spirits?"

She took a shaky breath, "Yes."

"Would you mind showing us?" he asked.

Ryumiko flicked a nervous glance at Akinobu, who returned an encouraging nod. Exhaling deeply, she lightly touched the silver chain around her wrist allowing her human guise to slip away. She held her breath as that feeling of steel coated her skin, warmth spreading from her inside out and the unmistakable feel and sound of her hair slithering down her back to brush against the floor. When the changes settled, she opened her eyes cautiously, hyper aware of the gasps of incredulity and hit by the sudden intensity of all of her now heightened senses. With all the willpower she had, she stifled the instinct to choke on the scents and tastes in the air and stood tall. Nervously, Ryumiko wondered how they'd be able to tell she was a dragon spirit when she didn't have a dragon form, but Akinobu filled in the gaps for her.

"It is indeed a marvellous wonder that one of our kind has been unknowingly residing in the realm of the living for so long..." the Eldest mused quietly, something she probably wouldn't have heard without being in her spirit form.

Lord Raiden however remained unconvinced, his white eyes boring into her fiercely as he spat, "Just because she has proven to be a spirit does _not _make her one of us!"

_"Ryumiko has been confirmed by both myself and the sorceress Zeniba to be of dragon descent. As for her humanoid appearance, she has yet to unveil her beastly form due to years of containment in the Living world. Her body is slowly adjusting to accommodate the change," _Akinobu lied. When no-one had anything left to dispute, he continued, _"Seeing as you now have confirmation of Ryumiko's status as a dragon spirit, she and I request her welcome into the Clan as a permanent addition."_

The Eldest spoke, "I shall grant your request willingly, Great One. All that is required is for one of the leaders to accept her into their-"

"I shall accept the girl," offered Lord Natsuo, cutting off the end of the Eldest's sentence.

The abruptness of the Clan Leader's acceptance caused Ryumiko to quickly tilt her head up to look at the dragon. His copper eyes were fixed pointedly and purposefully on the Eldest's own orange ones. Wondering what this meant, she instinctively turned to look at Retsu, who was also staring at the Lord of the Fortress, Natsuo.

"Then it is settled," the Eldest announced. "I welcome you, Ryumiko of the central dragons and carer of the Clan's power as a member of the Dragon Clan."

* * *

As Retsu, Yukaoi, Akinobu and Ryumiko all waited outside of the hall for the servants to take them to their rooms, Ryumiko contemplated what had just happened in a daze.

_'Akinobu? Did I just get adopted?'_ she asked.

_**'Technically speaking, yes you did,' **_he answered in a matter-of-factly manner.

_'What does that mean for me?'_

_**'That you are now protected by the Clan, in particular the Central dragons, simple.'**_

_'Doesn't that mean that I'm obligated to stay in the Spirit World?'_

_**'Not necessarily. Unless Lord Natsuo decides to start a war with someone or another division of the Clan.'**_

_'Okay... Just so you know, I'm trusting you.'_

_**'I know little one.'**_

She sighed in mild resignation and leaned her head back against the wall she was sitting against. She was situated between the two dragon siblings, Yukaoi discussing something with another dragon on her left, a servant she presumed, and Retsu stood while leaning against the marble wall on her right. Akinobu had suggested she remained in her spirit form for a while, so she had the ends of her stupidly long hair piled up in her lap so as not to have anyone trip over with it as she took in the scent of the fortress. Though the smell of pine and wood fires was strong and almost overbearing, her senses had become somewhat used to the change... or she had at least accustomed enough to make it just bearable. However, it didn't stop her from jumping when Retsu's voice cut through the silence.

"So you belong to the central dragons now?" he asked.

"Ah! Um - Ye-Yeah, I guess so... Retsu?"

"Mm?"

"Why do you think Lord Natsuo agreed to take me in so quickly?" she asked, beginning to nervously comb through her hair with her hands.

Retsu sighed, having already wrestled with this question. "I do not know. Lord Natsuo is and always has been a rather reserved character, he doesn't have any relatives nor has he ever taken a mate so I do not understand why he was so eager to add you to the central dragons. However his abilities as a leader of wisdom and strength have been a great asset to the Clan. I suppose he must have reasons of his own... You could ask him now."

She raised a quizzical eyebrow at his suggestion, until she noticed the sound of loud, purposeful footsteps getting closer. She turned her head the other way to see the lord striding straight in their direction.

**'**_**Stand up you fool.'**_

Hearing the 'subtle suggestion' about her conduct, Ryumiko hurried to her feet as the lord approached and bowed as Akinobu instructed, Retsu and Yukaoi bowing also in unison. She gave a small squeak of alarm when she felt herself wobble a bit, only to feel Retsu steady her by placing a hand on her shoulder. She reminded herself to thank him later for preventing her from embarrassing herself in front of her new lord.

"You may rise," Lord Natsuo said, his voice much deeper and richer in timbre when he was standing right in front of her. As all three rose from their bows, Ryumiko looked up at the man... the actually rather tall man. And when she finally met his eyes - though Akinobu 'suggested' not to - she was taken aback to see a similar expression in his warm copper eyes to what she saw when Mr. Ogiro looked at his daughter Chihiro. "You have made quite a scene today. The other Leaders are appalled to discover they are not as all-knowing as they once thought."

She bit back a laugh at the discrete insult he threw at the other clan Leaders and settled on smiling amusedly.

"I also wish to thank you both for your services to the Clan," he added, addressing Retsu and Yukaoi, who made gestures of appreciation in response. "I am of the understanding that you two each have a place in the fortress. It would be my honour to guide you to your rooms as I am also to show our newest central dragon to her new home."

With that, Lord Natsuo held his elbow out to Ryumiko, whom after Akinobu had to tell her what to do, took hold of it. The dragon Leader escorted her through the many corridors and halls of the fortress with Retsu and Yukaoi following behind. Lord Natsuo pointed out places of importance or of interest and Ryumiko sated her curiosity by asking various questions about anything he pointed out. Places she decided were the most important in her opinion, was the Leader's hall incase of emergencies or if anything new happened concerning Akinobu, the western gardens because it would be her new favourite place to spend her time, and the dining hall for obvious reasons.

Eventually they reached an enormous circular room that had a large opening at the top of the ten-floor high ceiling, revealing a small segment of the sky. She noticed that the cylindrical room was layered with rings which had what looked like large corridors branching off each ring. Lord Natsuo explained that this was the living quarters of all the residents of the fortress.

"Your room is situated on the second ring from the top, Ryumiko and I believe you two are also on the second ring, if I remember correctly," Lord Natsuo stated, half to them, half to himself. As she looked up, she noticed to some degree of horror, that there were no stairs anywhere. Ryumiko was about to send a look of panic towards Retsu about the obvious lack of stairs she could use, but before she could spiral into a full-blown state of distress, the lord spoke, "Now usually we would fly up to your rooms, however that would defeat the purpose of showing you around, so we shall take the stairs."

Before she could ask if he was hallucinating the presence of stairs, he pushed a patterned tile on the wall and she heard a light click. To her bewilderment, the blocks of stone that formed the walls pushed out to create steps that spiralled around the room all the way to the top floor. Trying not to let out an audible exhale of relief, she let the older dragon lead her up the tower steps. Lord Natsuo explained that the numerous floors were an indication of rank, the top floor belonging to the Clan Leaders, the bottom for the servants. Through the Lord's commentary of the various floors, Ryumiko noticed that each floor had a similar patterned tile which she assumed summoned the staircase.

When they finally reached the second floor, Ryumiko took a deep breath to steady her aching legs... if she was going to live here for too long, climbing these stairs was going to kill her one day.

"Ryumiko?" began Lord Natsuo, making her realize she had stopped for quite a while. "Your room is just here."

He indicated to a set of doors a little further down the corridor. Stepping towards them, her eyes widened at carving on the door. The wood was a warm dark brown and had patterns of the sea carved into it. The white foam of the waves and the light reflecting off the water was gilded in silver, while koi fish in the water were outlined in gold threads. She lightly brushed her fingers over the lines of the waves, feeling the curves etched into the wood by loving carpenters. She looked for the handle, which turned out to be a circle of silver in the middle of the door, held in the mouth of a small dragon that vaguely reminded her of Akinobu.

_**'I look nothing like that,'**_Akinobu adamantly refuted.

Biting back a smile, she took hold of the silver handle and gave the door a push letting a gasp slip out as the room was revealed. The stone walls of the room were painted blue with delicate silver koi filling the solid colour. There was a large raised futon bed covered in soft blankets in embroidered silk, a dark wood table with ink and parchment sitting on top and beyond the shoji wall opposite the door, was a large balcony that overlooked the inner gardens of the Fortress. The whole room was filled with what looked like highly costly extravagances befitting a princess of any era. It was absolutely stunning and she had nothing but excitement fill her as she observed every minute detail.

"A-Are you sure this isn't too much?" she asked Lord Natsuo, letting her fingers slide over the silk blankets on the bed.

"This is a perfect dwelling for the one who has liberated the strength of thousands of dragons," he answered with a smile. Ryumiko noticed his smile waver briefly before he turned to beckon Retsu and Yukaoi into her room as well. "Actually, I'd like to discuss something important while you are all here."

After the two entered, Lord Natsuo shut the door behind them with a great thud, his face turning grave.

"No words can express my gratitude for your retrieval of our Clan's power, Ryumiko, especially when it has caused you such grievances," he stated, nodding his head towards her ever-present bandages. "And as much as I wish that you all took the time to relax from your ordeals, I must request that you all keep a sharp eye for any threats within the Clan."

Ryumiko noticed Retsu's visible tenseness at Lord Natsuo's warning. She could hear it as his words were strained and alert, like a soldier in front of his commanding officer, "What should we be looking out for?"

Lord Natsuo paused before speaking lowly, "Yubaba could not have gotten hold of the Clan's power without some kind of deal having been made. And the only ones who have access to the power are those within the Clan itself."

"There's a traitor in our midst," Yukaoi muttered venomously. "Do you suppose they are plotting against the Clan?"

"Without knowing who it is, we cannot say for certain what their motives are. However, it is a likely possibility... It is near impossible to infiltrate the Leader's hall single handedly, so we can also assume that whoever is behind this, either has the support of or is a Clan Leader. Because of that, we should keep an eye out for Ryumiko seeing as she is the current guardian of the Dragon Clan's power," Lord Natsuo added.

"Wait!" Ryumiko interjected. "How can you be certain that the hall can't be infiltrated by another dragon?"

"When the hall is empty, the hall is protected by a layer of spells that only the Clan Leaders know how to disengage, which means that the traitor must have either gained a Leader's help in stealing the power or is a Leader," Retsu explained, staring at Akinobu with unfocused eyes.

Sighing as she noticed Yukaoi grab Retsu's arm and give him a stern look, she spoke, "Okay, so what else do we know?"

"The Central, the Eastern and North-western dragons are all close allies, so it would be safe to assume that no-one from any of those factions are responsible," Lord Natsuo said.

Again, Ryumiko blinked asking, "And what makes you think that just because you're allies that no-one from there is a traitor?"

She could see a slight hesitation from all three of the dragons in answering her.

It was only until Yukaoi broke the silence that she understood the reason why they had hesitated.

"All of us support the Nobles. In fact, I think apart from the dragon leaders, our allies are the only others who know of their existence," Yukaoi explained.

Ryumiko's mouth formed a slight 'o'. So Retsu and Yukaoi must have been reluctant to tell incase anything was revealed about her somehow and she supposed Lord Natsuo just didn't know if she already knew about Nobles in the first place or not.

Now that the topic had come up, and now that she knew Lord Natsuo was a supporter of her kind, she wondered if she would be able to tell her new superior about her true lineage. Though Retsu noticed the expression on her face and slowly shook his head in warning.

In response to his stern 'suggestion', she moved the conversation along, "Okay. But don't you think that would be more of a motive for our 'allies' if they want you- _us_ reptiles to be weaker than the Nobles?"

"It is our goal to _restore_ the race, not to establish a clear hierarchy, though there are still those within the rest of the Clan that would rather they would not return at all. It is almost guaranteed that there will be a battle to defend the Noble dragons in the future and what good will taking away our own power be if it comes to such a circumstance?" Lord Natsuo argued.

He did have a point, Ryumiko thought, murmuring a small noise of understanding.

A light knock on the door broke the conversation as a small young sombre-looking boy with hair the colour of stormy clouds poked his head through the doors, his voice stoic as he addressed the copper haired leader, "Lord Natsuo, a message."

"Excuse me for a moment," he told the three of them before meeting the boy outside of the room.

Deciding to take her mind off the news she had just heard, she let Akinobu settle down on a pillow beside her new bed and let herself get lost in her new room. Though despite her efforts, she couldn't help notice Retsu and Yukaoi quietly having a rather intense discussion amongst themselves.

When the two outside had finished speaking, Lord Natsuo spoke quickly through the doors, "I have matters I must attend now, Ryumiko. Should you need anything, simply ask and a servant should hear you." He bowed and left her in the room with the servant and the other two dragons.

"Thank-you!" she called out after him, smacking her forehead when he was out of sight upon remembering that she probably should have thanked him the way normal dragons did.

"Lady Ryumiko?" came a quiet voice.

Surprised, she turned to see the servant that had spoken with Lord Natsuo. The dragon looked like twelve years old it had the expression of a wise old man... Considering the nature of spirits that was probably possible.

"Yeah?"

"I have been asked to take your measurements and to inform you that dinner tonight is to be served once the sun has set," he related efficiently.

"Oh. Okay, thank you- um - I'm sorry I don't know your name?"

The boy blinked as if he had never been asked the question. "Izo."

"Thank you, Izo!" she said, quickly remembering to thank him the proper way. Though with Akinobu sitting away from her, she soon forgot which one she was supposed to use for subordinates.

Not wanting to seem too awkward, she placed her hand on his shoulder and anxiously waited for his reaction. When he simply bowed and began taking her measurements, she sighed in relief. She'd gotten it right. Not long after, Izo left and she turned to the other dragons, excited about having finally done something right on her own.

"_I'm both annoyed you forgot to properly thank Lord Natsuo for this gift and impressed you remembered the right gesture for subordinates,_" remarked Akinobu.

She smiled sheepishly, "Actually that was a lucky guess."

Akinobu sighed but didn't further the matter.

"I feel a little weird addressing Izo as a 'subordinate'," she said quietly, pulling a face at the word. And it was true, she'd never had subordinates... and had never experienced a culture that had subordinates.

"Usually subordinates will not be offended by a friendly superior, it is always safer however to be respectful to your superiors, so I would expect that in the meantime while the others are getting used to you that they will show you the proper respect of a superior before addressing you more familiarly," Yukaoi explained.

Retsu placed a hand on his sister's shoulder to get her attention. They shared a look before he spoke, "We have a few things to deal with here since we haven't been back to the Fortress in a while. If you need us just call out and we will hear you."

"Also, our rooms are just down the hall!" Yukaoi added as they headed out of her room.

The door shut behind them with a solid thud, leaving Ryumiko alone with Akinobu.

There was a long pause and she didn't really know what to do or say.

"Do you - um - maybe want to go for a walk?" She asked.

He stared at her blankly, replying dryly, "_You were just informed that there is one in this fortress who is in league with Yubaba and would happily kill you just to take me back to her, and you want to stroll around the Fortress with me unprotected? Is that the wisest thing you could be doing right now child?"_

She scowled at his logic. "Fine. I'll just stay here then..."

* * *

Chihiro was idly chopping vegetables for lunch with Rin, often letting her thoughts stray to the moment she and Haku had shared earlier that day. The object of her thoughts was currently out doing something or rather - she had been too distracted by him to be focusing on his words - leaving her time to reflect on their kiss. Quite honestly she would have loved for Haku to come back already so that she could steal another one off him, but that would have to wait.

"Chihiro!" Rin cried, bringing the girl out of her thoughts.

Surprised by the sudden outburst, Chihiro snapped her attention back onto the vegetables, discovering that she had unknowingly been chopping nothing for quite some time.

She smiled sheepishly at Rin. "Sorry! Mind was elsewhere..."

Rin snorted, "You were thinking about your little rendezvous with dragon boy this morning aren't you?"

Chihiro coughed and sputtered, "What on Earth are you talking about?"

The spirit smirked at her expression on embarrassment. "Please, Zeniba and I saw the whole thing! We were going to break up your little lover's spat before but we clearly didn't have anything to worry about, did we?" Rin commented, her grin getting wider as the girl's face went bright red. After letting her stew in her mortification for a little longer, she asked seriously, "So what's the plan for you guys now?"

At this, Chihiro raised a questioning brow, "What do you mean 'plan'?"

"Well, are you going to go back to the world of the Living? Haku can't leave the Spirit World right now, unless you want to help us defeat Yubaba? Though I'm not sure Haku would want you amongst the crossfire knowing him," Rin said.

"We haven't really discussed that yet," she answered, sliding her vegetables into the pot of boiling water over the open fire. "But Yubaba's cursed you both, tried to keep Haku away from me and now she's after Yumi too, I have more than enough reason to stay until the witch has gone. I'm just not sure how much help I'd be..."

"I think you'd be more help than you realise," came the voice of Zeniba from the front door, causing both women to turn to face her.

"How so?" Chihiro asked, raising a quizzical brow.

Zeniba smiled knowingly as she made her way to her rocking chair. "When you came here as a child, Kohaku supported you throughout your journey, did he not?"

Chihiro nodded.

"Well, you can be a support for him, and Ryumiko now. Because they _will _need you to be there for them, regardless if you can help fight my sister or not," Zeniba explained. "And even if you could fight, I doubt that young Kohaku would allow you to charge into battle. For now, helping us get rid of tasks and chores that would otherwise keep us busy is giving us more time to make preparations."

At this, Chihiro giggled, "Saving the Spirit World one vegetable at a time, am I?"

* * *

**I am actually cringing at the abuse that I am ninety-eight percent sure is coming my way... I am so sorry guys! I've had this chapter ready for a while now but I haven't posted it! Anyways, I'm working on the next one as we speak! Hopefully I won't take even half as long as this one did! Though admittedly, I am finding this Dragon Clan business very challenging to write, particularly due to trying to work out multiple things with the character's emotions.**

**Also I'm glad the last chapter was good! Especially considering I've never written a kiss scene before! I may have agonised over it a little... and possibly googled how to write one... then realised I was being ridiculous.**

**NEWS! I passed my exams with flying colours! WEW! And yesterday... I BOOKED FLIGHTS TO GO TO ITALY! So Excited! **

**But to the reviewers who still reviewed despite my failures as an author!**

Anabelle9 _(YAY! I'm glad you thought I did well on the kiss scene! And I will find a way for them! Thank you so much for your review!)_

Anne Fatalism Dilettante _(Thank you so much for your encouragement during exams! and for reviewing of course :P)_

JoanMystique _(I'm so glad you've enjoyed reading this! AND THAT IS A BRILLIANT IDEA! :D)_

TheOtherWhiteRabbit _(Thank you so much for the compliments! And I re-read the story and couldn't find any tense mix-ups, unless you meant my use of cataphoric tense reference... which I use a lot. But that means the tense is implied from the tense at the beginning of a sentence, and changes all the tenses to past tense despite being written in present. It's confusing and complex but it's a witing technique I know I use a lot. :P)_

FoxxyNeko _(I'm so happy you liked the chapter! :D Thank you so much for your review!)_

Moongirl12121 _(Thank you for the well-wishes on the exams! Thank you so much for your reviewing!)_

InkWoven _(Yes... spaced out chapters... Haha, but yes that is a good idea! Thank you for your review!)_

Evanna23 _(Haha! That's okay I took a while! Thank-you for reviewing! Oh! You meant 'Damn'! That's really quite interesting, because in Australia it's a pretty harmless word :/ About the same as Darn...)_

**For the rest of you: Please Review!**

**Anything.**

_Please._

**You have my full permission to throw as many bricks and/or any other object of brutality you desire at me...**

**New review box/Button is here!**

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